Career Convo #5: Discovering Your Child’s “Want-To”

Welcome back to the #careerconvos series! Today, I want to give you a launchpad to talk with your child about creating a specific plan to reach their career and lifestyle goals.

One of my mantras is this: “If the want-to is strong enough, the how-to will come.” This simply means that if your child wants something badly enough, they will figure out the “how-to” of getting it. The goal of this convo is to figure out the “how-to” for your child’s “want-to”—and start writing down the plan to get there.

As applicable, adapt these questions for your discussions:

• You now have an idea of what you want — HOW will you prepare yourself to get there?
• Who can you talk to, shadow, or ask to be your mentor who has already achieved what you desire?

One thing that can help during this phase is to connect with a professional in your child’s chosen field. If you know someone in the field, reach out to them for insight. If not, brainstorm ways to get in touch with someone doing what your child is considering as a career. A LinkedIn search may also be helpful here.

Your child’s “want-to” will power everything they do in pursuit of their education and career, so the earlier you uncover it, the better.

About The Author

Mark Perna

Mark C. Perna is a best-selling author and the founder of TFS in Cleveland, Ohio, a full-service strategic consulting firm whose mission is to share and support every client's passion for making a difference.

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