Teens and Career Choices

In today’s down economy, let’s face it – adults don’t want to give up their jobs. They’re going to take the job at the local fast food chain, just to make sure they have health care. So where does that leave teens and their career options? Though it might be a good idea for teens to stay in school anyways, the truth is that careers are harder to come by. People are focused more on a series of jobs, so what is a teen to do when their relatives continue to ask them what they’re doing with their life?

Stay in School

Before any teens reading this think they can get out of school, this is far from the case. While you might think that school is pointless if you can’t get a job, the job market is filled with people who have college degrees as well as higher level degrees. The playing field isn’t really level anymore. You need to have a good amount of schooling before a boss might even look at your application and schedule you for an interview. In order to be ready for anything, you need to at least have a high school diploma or GED, but you will have a higher chance of success if you also have a college degree, or are working towards one.

The Careers That Pay

In the every changing market, there are career options that are more viable than others. Some of the best jobs for a teen to train for include:

• Teaching (!)
• Health care
• Computer skills

When a teen is thinking about their career options, the best way to approach this is to think about what jobs are always going to be necessary in the world. And there will always be a need for teachers. There will always be a need for health care workers (nurses especially), and the continued use of computers means that a teen with high level skills will be able to find a job in the future.

As for careers that will pay the most money, teaching probably isn’t going to be the best salary at first. But over time, teachers can move up in the proverbial food chain and start getting better pay.

Being Adaptable and Flexible

Another thing that teens need to have when they are entering the market is adaptability. If the last few years have taught the world anything, it’s that people need to be ready to change their careers and their skill sets. Constantly trying to learn new things and new jobs is going to help teens always be able to find some sort of work. A teen should be ready to go back to school during their lifetimes or to find a career which will guarantee them job security, though it seems these days that NO job can do that.

With career choices dwindling, the best advice for a teenager is to make sure they are improving their resumes to ensure they can get the best job available.