How To Help A Teenager Choose Their Career Path

Last Updated on: 6th October 2025, 09:59 am

Help A Teenager Choose Their Career Path

Tills is in her final year at school. Her life is full of afterschool interventions, Mock exams and revision books. Was she ready for this last year? Nope! She was so shocked when she learned that her school had extended the school day for 3 days a week. But she has a lot of choices to make this year. And all of these changes will help her to make the right choice to choose their career path.

Of course, at 15, you have no idea what you want to do when you leave school. Your child is still your baby. I remember being that age at school and not knowing what to do. All we can do with our kids is guide them to the right next step and hope they make the right choice.

Teens Will Likely Change Their Minds

So much pressure is put on kids from the moment they start school. But in Year 11, it is intense. Tilly had always said she wanted to be a photographer. She did some work experience with me, and she tried different types of photography. Then she also did some work experience at a nursery, and she decided that she might like to work with kids. She did find it hard to start at the nursery, but by the second day, she was loving it. I guess having 5-year-old and 1-year-old nieces has helped her choice to work with kids. She can still do her photography as a sideline or just as a hobby. We have the equipment here!

If your teenager changes her mind, thats okay. Even if they change their mind after they did 2 years at college, thats okay too. Because even after the two years at college, they are still only going to be 18 years old. Barely an adult! My oldest daughter did A levels and a 3-year degree at uni, before deciding she didn’t want to work as a criminal psychologist anymore. She bumbled around for about 10 years and then found a job that she was born to do. She loves this completely different route that she has taken, and she is finally happy in her work. She makes a huge difference to people’s lives, and I am so proud of her for doing that.

Keep An Eye Out For Open Days To Choose Their Career Path

These are going to be invaluable. There is nothing wrong with looking at universities at the age of 15. This gives your child a few years before they have to finally make their own choice. But it also gives you plenty of time to see as many different universities as your child wants. This will help your child aspire more for what they want to do.

Local colleges and sixth forms will start offering open days soon. If your child wants to go to uni, they will need to follow the A-level route and continue with sixth form. They do not need to do A-levels at the school they are at now; they can go to a different one that offers the A-levels they need. If your child wants to go to college, open days are worth their weight in gold. Even if your child still doesn’t know what they want to do, they can take a walk around the college. They might be inspired by the courses that they see.

Encourage Them To Speak To The Careers Advisor At School

When I was at school, I was living in Germany and going to a military school. There wasn’t much choice of careers going on. I knew I didn’t want to go to sixth form. I was done with boarding school. So on the return to the UK, I got into hairdressing. If I am honest, I hated being a hairdresser’s apprentice, but it was all that was available back then. My children have had so many better opportunities post-16.

I have encouraged Tilly to speak to the careers advisor at school. But like most teenagers, she wants to spend her spare time at school with her friends. She doesn’t want to spend her time talking about serious life stuff. But the option is there for kids at school. They also might have contacts that your child could use to get the job they want.

Tilly Has No Idea What She Wants To Do, And That Is Okay

Tilly really doesn’t know what she wants to do. She wanted to do photography, but now is edging towards childcare. She wants to work in a kids’ nursery. But she is still only 15, and the future is a long time. Don’t pressure your child into doing something they don’t want to do. They will choose their own career path.