Show Notes

CAREERING: HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG?

If you have teens, you may have noticed that from an early age, they are encouraged to choose a path of study to follow – a process that is also called careering.

Here in Texas, the Education Agency mandates that kids choose an Endorsement at the beginning of high school. Basically, it’s a program of study that requires studying 4 years of the same subject, with each class a prerequisite for the next.

This requirement started the year my son was a freshman in HS, and we weren’t sure how it was going to impact things like getting into a state university. And what would happen if the track he chose as an 8^th grader ended up being something he didn’t like? Would he get stuck going through the rest of the classes?

He’s a sophomore in college now (at a state university, btw) and what we’ve found is that the fuss was a whole lot of . . . nothing. Our district figured out that a “multi-disciplinary” endorsement was baked into their graduation requirements, and it turns out that universities aren’t paying attention to “endorsements.”

I was super-concerned at the beginning of the process, as we helped our son walk through picking out his track. I firmly believe that 14-year-olds don’t need the pressure (nor do they have the maturity) to choose what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

However, after talking to my guest today, I have a new perspective on having our middle schoolers explore what they might want to do when they’re grown-ups.

TAMARA S. RAYMOND – CAREERING EXPERT

Tamara S. Raymond is a certified leadership coach, career strategist, and award-winning author. She has a passion for supporting kids and adults as they explore their unique strengths and interests, and her programs help them define what they want to do with their futures and tap into the leaders within.

I thoroughly enjoyed her book, “Careering: A Pocket Guide to Exploring Your Future Career,” and I especially love her take on leadership, and plan to use her framework to talk to my own kids about what it looks like to show up as a leader no matter where you land. Here’s some of our conversation.

EXPLORING AND PLAYING

Tamara, book, Careering, is more than informational, it’s a workbook. One of the reasons she wrote the book was to encourage people to explore. Sometimes we can get stuck in a particular area or field because that’s the track we chose or because that’s what’s expected of us. There’s anxiety and stress around making a choice.

One thing that helped her was the opportunity to play and explore as a child. Her mother worked in a bank and she got to job shadow her, starting at age 5. She also stayed with a family friend who was a doctor and watched how his practice was run.

There’s a lot you can learn from just exposure and trying out new things and seeing what you like about it and what don’t you like about it.

Working with her students and reflecting on her own journey, Tamara discovered that for the most part, yes, what you study may vary, what you do in terms of profession may vary. However, a lot of time, your interests start early on and stay consistent through life.

Even if you have to choose a track, it’s okay to explore. That’s why you need to start using your resources. If you’re a student, start reaching out to your teachers and your parents, so you might be able to get exposure in a field that you never would have thought possible.

STEP-BY-STEP ADVICE

What I love about Tamara’s book Careering is that she gives such practical, step-by-step “marching orders” – even down to the point of spelling out “Say this:”  to (ask for a recommendation, when you’ve started the job.)

It’s practical advice that, as a parent or teacher, you hope your kids have picked up on things. However, often learning doesn’t happen by osmosis – sometimes you have to really spell it out. Tamara has done a wonderful job of doing that in Careering.

ANXIETY AROUND CAREERING

Working with high school students and adults who had anxiety about making a career decision inspired her to write the book. Nonetheless, it’s applicable to adults and kids who are younger as well.

Our kids do experience the anxiety of wondering if what they choose now changes later. The good news is that many people change careers or jobs during their lives. Added to that, there are jobs that exist now that weren’t even a thing 10, 20, 30 years ago. Things move so quickly, and there are so many opportunities.

Tamara’s background is in human resources. In the world of recruiting and hiring, people who applied for jobs often did not have a degree in the area of that particular job. She shares that your undergrad degree can be part of the exploration process. She emphasizes that “No matter where you are, it’s okay and you’re not alone. We all have questions at some point. And if my book can help reduce someone’s anxiety, I consider it well worth the effort”

In Careering, I loved her quote:

“Sometimes you may feel there’s a distinction between two kinds of jobs: with one type, you are there just to make money; with the other, you focus only on career building. But you must remember you can earn valuable skills at either.”

Tamara S. Raymond

It speaks to the idea that we can encourage kids to have a ‘dream job’ AND help them understand they probably won’t start out in that dream job. And that, fortunately, wherever you start out, you can learn valuable things. You want to get in there and do that job as well and with as much focus, detail, and enthusiasm as you would your dream job. That will help you get to the dream job faster.

AFTER CAREERING

Reading through the book, I loved the beginning where there is practical advice about discovering what you want to do. I also loved that the last part of the book is about what to do once you’ve landed a job or internship.

Her advice for what to do once you have the position you want, and how to show up and be a good employee is GOLD. There is a checklist to go through on interview day, and then she addresses how to be a good employee.

“…showing your manager you have initiative, are conscientious and solution focused, and are someone he or she wants on the team. These are key qualities that make a good leader.”

Tamara S. Raymond

BEYOND CAREERING TO LEADERSHIP

Truly leadership is a skill that can be learned, practiced, improved, and grown like muscles. One of the things Tamara has experienced is coming across leaders who have a diversity of approaches and personalities.

At the end of the day, what made them successful wasn’t their title or even their role.

Leadership is about taking on some specific characteristics wherever you are. She consistently noticed 4 key qualities that make a leader:

1. A willingness to ask questions
2. The willingness to listen
3. The courage to take action when needed
4. If leading a team, allowing their team the opportunity to learn and grow

Those are by far the consistent traits. At the end of the day, it’s not about personality or the approach you take. We ALL have the capacity to be leaders, no matter where we are. It’s not about title or role or job. There are differences in personality and interests, but from teachers to CEOs of billion-dollar companies, there are things that are universal.

Being a leader is about how you show up no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

Tamara S. Raymond

EPISODES REFERENCED