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Homeschool Information Library
....(HEM's Information Library Index | Older Homeschoolers Index)....
Transition to the World of Work
From the Older Kids column, by Cafi Cohen, originally published in the November-December 1996 issue of Home Education Magazine.
As homeschooling parents, we hope our kids will progress naturally from
homeschooling into the world of work. We envision our children developing
consuming passions and eventually using their talents to make a living.
For some kids, the path is obvious. The teenager who lived and breathed
cars and motors volunteers at an auto repair shop, eases into a paying position,
and in due time starts his own auto repair business. Or he enlists in the
military, learns jet engine repair and maintenance, and eventually goes
to work for a major airline. Kids like this just follow their noses, and
everything turns out pretty well.
Others, even as teenagers, never seem to develop an interest which translates
readily into a paying job or progresses to a career. Often these kids are
good students. Many boast an impressive roster of extra-curricular activities.
Some of them say, "Everything looks interesting. How can I narrow down
my choices?" These kids need extra help to make the transition from
home to the world of work.
Note that I said transition from "home to the world of work,"
not "home to the world of college." If a teenager is unsure of
his direction, college will be a waste of time and money. I do not buy the
old maxim: "Send 'em, and they will figure it out when they get there."
Instead, send them out to work to determine if they need college. When and
if they do attend college, it will be worth every cent. They will know why
they are there and probably will do very well academically.
Homeschooling families are so lucky, homeschooling teenagers even more
so. Homeschoolers bring an attitude of self-reliance plus a networking mindset
to any first-job search. Many homeschooling teenagers absorb these qualities
through years of watching their parents find appropriate resources.
Additionally, homeschooling parents and teenagers have time to explore
various occupational fields. But how do you get started? What fields look
interesting? What jobs are available in those fields? What resources are
available to help older teenagers and young adults locate That First Job?
Ideally, plan to spend one to two years researching the possibilities.
Check out the following resources in your community: friends, neighbors,
and relatives; local newspapers; library reference holdings; career counseling
centers and public employment offices; and volunteer and apprenticeship
opportunities -- not necessarily in that order.
Interviewing Friends, Neighbors, and Relatives
Many people find jobs or begin careers based on exposure to occupations
of friends, neighbors, and relatives. Encourage your teenager to set up
interviews with those around him doing interesting work. Certain questions
usually get the conversational ball rolling: What's the best thing about
this job/work? The worst? What drew you to this work? Do you find the work
satisfying or frustrating? Would you encourage others to seek similar employment?
Newspaper Help-Wanted Ads
The local newspaper help-wanted ads are another excellent place to begin.
From these ads, your teenager can educate himself in a non-threatening manner
about those occupations in sufficient demand to warrant advertising. (Job
search manuals generally advise that most jobs are not filled through classified
advertising, but instead through networking.) Encourage your teenager to
peruse the Sunday ads for many months to help him develop a picture of (1)
the overall job market and (2) qualifications needed for various jobs. He
should also note salaries offered for various positions. Just reading job
descriptions may help him develop a feel for what type of work he would
like to do.
Library Resources
I queried the reference librarian at our small, local branch library
about career research and job search materials they recommend. What a wealth
of data. The non-circulating reference section (call numbers 331...) had
the multi-volume, yet very readable, Career Information Center, 6th Edition,
"for people who want help making career choices." Under each of
the many careers listed was information about salary, education or training
requirements, employment outlook, and trends. Also available were the US
Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook and the multi-volume Exploring
Tech Careers.
The data in these resources is difficult to approach cold, that is,
when the potential job-seeker (teenager) has no idea what direction to take.
Bolstered with information from several months of reviewing want-ads, personal
experience with several occupations through volunteering (of which, more,
further down), and interviews with working friends and relatives, the data
comes to life.
In the regular non-fiction section of the library (again under call
numbers beginning with 331), I found materials about resumes, interviewing,
and other job-search skills and techniques. There were also books on correlating
your job search with your interests and talents.
One of these looked particularly appropriate: What Color Is Your Parachute?
A Practical Manual For Job Hunters and Career Changers (updated annually)
by Richard Bolles is an excellent how-to manual. It includes a sections
on choosing a career ("What Do You Want To Do?" and "Where
Do You Want To Do It?"); job hunting (including chapters on working
at home and starting your own business), interviewing, and a "pink
pages" section on finding your mission in life. Highly recommended.
A couple of other titles caught my eye. The Off-The-Beaten-Path Job Book:
You CAN Make a Living AND Have a Life! by Sandra Gurvis (1995) detailed
jobs like Greeting Card Writer, Tour Guide, Dog Groomer, Polygrapher, Midwife,
and Product Tester, and many more. Real People, Real Jobs: Reflecting Your
Interests In The World Of Work by David H. Montross, et. al. (1995) included
stories of 40 people in traditional and not-so-traditional occupations.
Certainly teenagers looking beyond the usual ways of earning a living and
the usual job search techniques will want to check out these books.
Career Counseling Services and Employment Offices
Through local school districts, adult education programs, community
colleges, and in the Yellow Pages, you can develop a list of local career
counseling programs and employment offices. Many of them offer free or almost
free services including personal development classes, interest and skills
inventories (tests), help writing resumes and preparing for interviews,
time and financial management strategies, and job referral and placement.
I interviewed the coordinator at our local county career center (accessed
here through the county adult education program) and got some excellent,
general pointers for job searchers. She said that the primary skills and
attitudes most employers want include good oral and written communication
skills, the desire and ability to be a team player, and flexibility ("The
key to survival."). According to the coordinator, the single most important
asset any job seeker could present to an employer is computer literacy (ability
to use a word processor, prepare a spread sheet, and manage files).
The coordinator (who works for a government agency) said that job-seekers
should also consider talking to private employment and temporary employment
agencies (those whose fees are paid by employers). The trick, she said,
is getting one's foot in the door. Job-seekers should not turn their noses
up at part-time, temporary positions and those with no benefits; those jobs
may turn into full-time permanent positions.
Volunteer and Apprenticeship Opportunities
Teenage homeschoolers volunteer in many areas. Most of us are familiar
with the volunteer programs in libraries and hospitals and museums. Homeschoolers
are wise to look beyond established programs, however. I have known homeschooled
teenagers who volunteered with veterinarians, drama groups, political campaigns,
radio stations, bookstores, etc. The possibilities are limited only, perhaps,
by your location.
Why is volunteering important with respect to a future job? Volunteering
allows teenagers to experience a wide variety of work environments and occupations,
while contributing to the community. And the volunteer experience sometimes
rules specific future employment in or out. Although she enjoyed the work
and the people, our daughter learned that none of the medical professions
was for her after volunteering for a year at a local hospital. Result? She
didn't waste 2-4 years going to nursing school only to discover that she
did not like health care.
Of course, results may be more positive: volunteering can lead to a
paying job. The pages of Growing Without Schooling are replete with examples
of teenagers who parlayed volunteer positions into full-time paid work.
Even with no paying position in the offing, volunteering provides experience
and generates all-important resume data. Additionally, the teenager will
usually garner recommendations from adults who have worked with him.
How does a student get a volunteer job where there is no volunteer program
in place? Just ask! Ideally, the teenager will present himself with a brief
resume and letters of recommendation, together with a statement of why he
wants to volunteer for the organization in question. Sometimes the big draw
in giving a teenage homeschooler a volunteer opportunity includes the kid's
availability during normal school hours. Be sure to let them know!
Certainly as your child moves from his middle into his late teens, he
may be more interested in an apprenticeship. Many to most apprenticeships
pay a salary while the apprentice is learning. Back to the library here.
Ferguson's Guide To Apprenticeship Programs (reference section of our library)
not only had information about trades we traditionally associate with apprenticeships
(tile setters, tool and die makers) but also about less traditional options:
folk arts apprenticeships, fire fighting, and horse training, for example.
It is difficult, almost impossible for some 17-21 year-olds to make
career decisions. Their interests are still changing so much from year to
year. After doing the research and volunteering and doing everything else
you can conceive, you and your teenager may have to make do with the thought:
"Try something." Trial-and-error may be the best approach for
some.
This type of teenager may also be comforted by the words of Donn Reed
in The Home School Source Book: "There is nothing undesirable in having
a variety of work, either concurrently or consecutively; a peripatetic career
can be as remunerative and often more satisfying than the single-minded
pursuit of only one kind of work.....Choosing a career should be done only
if one wants [emphasis mine] a career."
- 1996, Cafi Cohen
....(HEM's Information Library Index | Older Homeschoolers Index)....
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