Early Career Planning is Essential
for Gifted Adolescents

There is often a major disconnect between the expectations of the educational system and the preparation for and selection of a career. Most people know that everyone needs education beyond high school; however, help with developing a thoughtful career plan is often not provided. In today's world, parents cannot afford to ignore helping their children with this important task.

We live in a world of unprecedented change. Shifting demographics, technological change, and economic globalization are major trends that impact everyone. Jobs and companies are created and dissolved simultaneously. As professionals, we know that knowledge and skills may be out of date in three years or less. Education alone isn't enough. Forward thinking parents realize they are preparing their children for a world that will be very different than the one they live in now.

The New Literacy Requirement
For today's students, particularly gifted adolescents, career literacy is a competitive asset. Coined by Career Vision, the career services division of the Ball Foundation in Glen Ellyn, IL, career literacy is the basic knowledge that everyone needs to be able to compete in the 21st century work environment.

Career literacy is based on the premise that in order to make choices and navigate in a world in constant flux, we need to understand:

1. How the world of work and the economic system work
2. How to articulate what is unique and important about oneself (self-knowledge)
3. How to evaluate the alignment or fit between oneself and the workplace

Career literacy is the ability to discuss these components within a framework of how and where an individual can make a contribution. For some people, this is a straightforward process. For many others, especially those who are multi-talented, narrowing choices is a struggle.

The World of Work
First, children need to understand the workplace from a practical perspective; they need to understand why people work and how a career selection is really an adult lifestyle choice. A good way to introduce the world of work is to help them explore different industries. Most of today's industries - Government, Health, Education, Leisure, Transportation, Communications, Safety, Agriculture, Construction, Manufacturing, Energy and Spirituality - are built around a societal need. Within these different industries are different types of businesses needing different occupational skills. By breaking up the world of work into sections, it is easier to see how they contribute to our world and how they will be impacted by trends in science, technology, globalization, and geographic patterns such as weather. Conversations about current events are a way to broaden children's awareness. A discussion on the impact of hurricanes in Florida on the Agricultural (citrus), Transportation, and Retail Food industries can help bring different industries to life.

Developing an understanding of why businesses exist and what purpose or market they serve makes it easier for children to evaluate their interest areas and to identify companies or the type of work they want to learn more about. A greater sensitivity to the challenges and changes occurring in the world of work will enable more accurate choices about the knowledge, skills and abilities to develop now and in the future. To figure out how to best make a contribution, one needs to understand what they are contributing to.

Understanding Self
Secondly, career literacy emphasizes the importance of knowing oneself. This awareness helps students identify and communicate the talents they bring, and equally important, the keys to their own satisfaction. Understanding self is not a simple process. For gifted students, the task is even more complex.

Growing up we typically learn about ourselves through achievement, competition and exploration. Another way to learn is through a comprehensive, objective career assessment and interpretation session that explains the results and the implications for work and school. A good time to consider such an assessment is in high school. Typically four aspects of an individual are useful when considering careers: aptitudes, interests, personality and values.

1. Aptitude tests objectively measure individuals' potential to acquire skills used to perform tasks. The Ball Aptitude Battery^® measures creativity, spatial abilities, and generalist/specialist work orientation, abilities that play a significant role in career planning. Other multiple aptitudes measured include reasoning styles, numerical, memories, perceptual speed and accuracy, and psychomotor abilities. Other aptitude measures are the Differential Aptitude Test^®, and the Department of Labor's Ability Profiler™.

Aptitudes identify natural abilities and provide a work profile. They remain relatively stable throughout one's lifetime, so once completed, students are able to apply the information in their unique work profile to decisions throughout their career.

Gifted students often have an aptitude profile with many strengths. Career planning is more complex with these students, because they need college majors, jobs and work environments that utilize as many strong aptitudes as possible. Just like a strong muscle gets restless if it is not exercised, students with many strengths need to find opportunities to use them or the students get restless and dissatisfied.

2. Interest inventories yield information on what an individual likes and dislikes including activities, subjects, occupations, and work environments. Examples of interest inventories are the Strong Interest Inventory™ and the Self-Directed Search^®. The response to these survey question assessments is based on what one has experienced or been exposed to. Teens often are attracted to careers with perceived glamour, status and prestige as seen in the media rather than more realistic career options. Gifted students often have a wide range of interests, and narrowing options to some manageable focus is best done when the results of interests and aptitudes are aligned. Career research suggests that these two assessments provide the most critical information to begin exploration.

3. Personality instruments assess personal characteristics and preferences. The information helps individuals understand themselves as well as potential career options and work setting preferences. Personality assessment may be more useful later in high school. However, understanding the difference between introversion and extraversion and how that may influence choices is helpful. Two personality instruments used for career purposes are the 16 PF^® and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI).

4. Values inventories allow an individual to rank principles, qualities or work characteristics on their level of importance. Super's Work Values Inventory^® and other values-sorting activities, either using cards or completed online, are most commonly used. Adolescents are still in the process of clarifying their values, which may shift as they get older. When gifted students have many interests, values may provide meaningful insight to guide career choices.

These tools highlight talents and preferences and offer guidance for discussion and exploration. The results of these assessments should help parents and children make informed career decisions with greater confidence.

Figuring Out "Fit"
Most students participate in career planning assessments at different stages of school. The interpretation they receive is accomplished in a group setting and results are sent home for the parents to decipher. There is little discussion of the individual implications of the information or the how and why a specific student will best fit in different jobs or work environments.

In contrast, students who can combine in-depth self-knowledge with a growing knowledge of the world of work achieve the third component of career literacy. These students have a more informed understanding and vocabulary to explore and discuss their different options. In doing so, they can identify and evaluate the fit of potential jobs and work environments that will enable them to make their best contributions and derive personal satisfaction. Career literate high school students can select part-time jobs, internships and job shadowing opportunities that will trigger curiosity and motivation. Knowing what tasks, roles, and environments will be best for them informs their choices of courses, college majors, and colleges.

Highly talented individuals are often told, "You can be anything you want to be." While that may be true, it doesn't offer much direction. High-ability students might consider working with a career professional to understand how their talents can be combined. This can save years of frustration and dissatisfaction and increase chances for successful and fulfilling lives.

What Parents Can Do
Research shows that parents are the strongest influence on their children's educational and career goals. Here are some suggestions for activities to engage your gifted child in order to build career literacy.

Elementary School
- Teach your children how to ask questions about work, perhaps role-playing a reporter with neighbors.
- Explore services and products available in your own community. For example, how many different jobs produced the food for your dinner?
- Visit work sites.

Middle School
- Talk about what they see in the media. What is realistic? What is the real situation (if not realistic)?
- When visiting the doctor's office or clinic, observe what types of employees there are. What type of education do they need to do their work?
- Introduce children to informational interviewing by asking adults how they got their job, what they do, what they like and dislike, and what kind of training and education they needed.
- Seek job-shadowing opportunities.

High School
- Consider a comprehensive career assessment with interpretation by a credentialed career professional.
- Investigate how creativity is used in the workplace in fields other than art. What different types of designers can you identify?
- When interviewing colleges, ask if your teen can speak with alumni in their intended major to find out how their education fits in different careers.
- Become familiar with online resources that provide basic information about careers, projected availability, requirements and salary.
- Many talented students find themselves in competitive situations or performing independently. Recognize that teamwork is required in today's workplace. Community service, helping others and working on a project offers opportunities to stretch those interpersonal talents.

These are fun and exciting years. Being informed adds to the motivation and enthusiasm of your gifted child, and will help your gifted child establish an educational and career plan that will launch them into the 21st century workplace ready to make their contribution.

This article was originally written at the request of the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University by Paula Kosin, M.S., L.C.P.C. and William Tirre, Ph.D. It appeared in the Winter, 2005, issue of their Talent newsletter.

© Copyright 2005 & 2009, Career Vision. Article may be reprinted with permission.

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