Show Notes

LIFE SKILLS DURING COVID-19

In the continuation of my discussion with Tamara S. Raymond, we’re diving into how the very act of exploring careers can build life skills in our teens.

The pandemic has generated some challenges around careering, but a lot of young people looked past their frustration and stepped up and took on things they wouldn’t necessarily have tried before the pandemic. Things like managing social media accounts for a family member’s company.

Staying safe meant staying at home, but Tamara saw kids exploring how to be a leader from home – which is very possible. There are a lot of roles these days that are stay-at-home positions. A lot in the IT field, but also in marketing, development, or learning-related careers.

THE LIFE SKILLS IN CAREERING ARE FANTASTIC.

There are 4 life skills that kids can take away from their careering experiences:

Lifeskill 1: Thinking Outside the Box

There are some things we might not think about that we could learn or get ideas from sharing with people who you trust.

Sometimes when we’re in our own world, there are things we may not see or realize that are opportunities. Talking to people about your interests, your hopes, and your dreams can open doors. Especially if you reach out to family and friends and they reach out to their contacts and resources.

Lifeskill 2: Just Asking

It’s amazing what can happen when you ask. Getting comfortable with asking for what you want or need can bring you amazing opportunities. For instance, one year, for the annual “Out to Work Day” Civics project 8^th graders had to do, one of my students was able to shadow an OB-GYN who was a friend of a friend of the family. She ended up getting to observe a live birth! Another student reached out to his favorite professional soccer player on the D.C. United Team, and was able to shadow him for the day.

As parents and teachers encouraging kids to ASK – the worst anyone can say is “no.”

Many adults are eager to help young people figure out what they want to do.

Learning not to take “no” personally – or let it stop you – is a valuable life skill.

Lifeskill 3: Accepting the “Nos”

“Nos” can be a good thing, and there are many reasons for the ones you’ll get. Sometimes a “no” means saying “Okay, thank you,” and other times it means asking a follow up questions like, “Okay, if that’s not possible, do you have any recommendations for what is?” It’s a life skill to recognize that it can be a “No, AND.”

Lifeskill 4: Putting Yourself Out There

It takes courage to put yourself out there. When you find something you love and are committed to, though, there are things that you’re willing to step out and do that you would never have seen yourself doing or thought possible.

PASSION AND PURPOSE

Doing this careering and exploring in a playful way, my hope for kids is that they DO find something they’re passionate about that gives them purpose.

Purpose and passion help you push past fear that might otherwise hold you back. If you don’t have that, it makes things a lot less fun and really difficult.

4 TAKEAWAYS FROM TAMARA

Depending on your kids’ ages, it may appear that they aren’t listening to you, but they really are. You make a difference. Trust your parenting and trust your teaching.

Take a step back and look at what you would have wanted to know or what you would have liked to explore.  A lot of us are far removed from those preteen years and it’s easy to forget. Putting yourself in your child’s position is helpful. Your anxiety might have looked different, but the experience is the same – who do I ask? who can I trust? when is it safe? Sharing that with your kids reminds them that you’re human and opens up the door for them to ask questions.

Think about people in your network who you think might be helpful when it comes time for them to job shadow.

Pay attention to what your kids get excited about and ask questions to help them explore. “What did you like about it?” “What would you like to try next time?” You can help them dig in a little deeper to see areas they really like or enjoy. Teachers who see student excited about a particular topic might take an extra minute to foster that in some way, by sharing a story or opportunity around it.

Sharing the mistakes and missteps from your own journey can be beneficial too. Showing that even if you took a wrong turn, you’re still okay right now, and ended up where you’re supposed to be – they weren’t mistakes as much as they were lessons, and they didn’t take you out. There’s nothing you can’t recover from.

It’s okay that you don’t feel like it’s a lesson in the moment. Acknowledge that it was painful, if necessary give it some time, then move forward.

Don’t forget to pick up Tamara’s fabulous book, “Careering: A Pocket Guide to Exploring Your Future Career!”

EPISODES REFERENCED