Episode: 328

Episode Title: The Power of Parents

Did you pick your career—or did your parents guide you to it? Next on The Perna Syndicate, a new study uncovers the extent of parental influence on kids’ career choices. Stay tuned!

Ep 328 show:

Welcome—you’re now in The Perna Syndicate! This week, we’ve been talking about the huge disconnect in colleges across America. As many as 40% of students never complete their degree. And a full two-thirds don’t think that they’re going to graduate with the skills to succeed in the workplace. 

So why are so many young people still going to college anyways? The answer may lie with their parents. A new study by Joblist examines the extent of parental influence on education and career choices for currently employed Gen-X, Millennial and Gen-Z individuals. And this influence is huge. 

65% of respondents today work in the field their parents wanted for them. And even when young people chose a path other than what their parents wanted, most didn’t do it lightly. 82% of parents pushed their kids to choose a white-collar profession. Another 57% said their parents wanted them to enter the same field where they worked. 

Not surprisingly, a good income was the primary reason that parents promoted a particular field to their child. I’m not here to blame parents for wanting their kids to have a successful and enjoyable career. I’m a dad myself to two wonderful young men, and it was always my goal to see them thriving and independent in life. 

But I think this study reveals some major problems with how parents are perceiving careers in the modern workforce. We have to overcome the awareness gap that parents have when it comes to the many diverse pathways and on-ramps to success. College is certainly a way to succeed—but it’s not the only way. 

Tomorrow, at what age are parents opening the career conversation with their kids? We’ll cover that and more on the next episode of The Perna Syndicate. See you then!