Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 39 to 43.
The decisions we make in our early life, e.g. what school we go to, the subjects we choose to study, the decision to go to university/college, the courses we choose, can impact our career path. If this decision is heavily swayed by parental preference, the child may end up following a vocation that, deep down, they are not interested in. At the same time, without practical guidance and support when pursuing interests, poor choices can be made.
Everyone has a unique set of skills and aptitudes. Each child is individual in their own way, and so may possess different skills and abilities to their parents. With this in mind, adopting a similar career role to either parent may not be the right course of action.
We all take time to ‘find our feet’. Parents will often say things such as “pick a course you think you’ll like” or “why don’t you apply for this job”. Though it may seem they are doing the right thing in terms of steering their children in the right direction, parents also need to understand that we all need space and time to discover what we truly want to pursue. University, for example, isn’t for everyone – and engaging in relevant work experience and/ or undertaking an apprenticeship can be just as valuable in finding a suitable vocation in which you can thrive.
The trick here is to educate children that life is about self-discovery and new skills and talents are developed. How many of us are in careers we thought we would be in when we were 18? We can only make decisions based on what we know about ourselves at the time, take the pressure off them by letting them know it's okay that they aren't sure what they want to do yet but the important thing is to be proactive in finding their way.
(Adapted from https://www.midkent.ac.uk/)
