Parenting: Why Kids Need Job Skills Now

By Carolyn Richardson, originally published on LA Parent

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Most of us didn’t give much thought to our career options until our college years. Maybe. Our focus up to that point was on getting the grades to get into college.

These days, programs are popping up that capitalize on our teens’ desire to do things on their own terms, channeling that drive to help them find their passion – and maybe turn it into a profession. Imagine a recruiter entering your child’s middle- or high-school class to talk about life skills, passion and examining themselves.

The Now Generation

The Internet search engines to answer any question and apps to fill almost every need. Teens in this generation aren’t used to asking anyone for anything.  A Gallup poll in 2011 found that eight in 10 teens want to be their own boss. So who’s offering entrepreneurial information to these kids while we academically focused parenting types push for better test scores and mull over college admissions forms?

Professional Development Programs for Youth

Skillify, a professional development program for high school students, teaches networking, resume building and how to connect with internships and other business opportunities. The program is only two years old, but the impact on thousands of students is clear. The sentiment seems to be self-empowerment. The students I spoke with at a Skillify conference say that these programs are more about practicing real-life skills and less about tests.

“I feel like school can teach us about a career, but they won’t teach us how to do it ourselves,” says Mollie Pirkle, a Skillify intern and graduate of the program. “Skillify allows us to practice real-life situations. We don’t have that opportunity in school, because it’s about grades.”

Being “Good Enough” Counts

Shireen Jaffer, managing director of Skillify, says this focus on grades can hurt students’ confidence and discourage them from pursuing their passions. “I had this student who spent five hours a day working on videos.  But he thought he was too stupid to pursue film.  Even though his passion and work ethic were strong,” she says.

Skillify believes that every student should be given an open-door path to success.  All teens need life skills to be productive and follow their passions. “You might want to go to college or you might not, but all of you want to be successful,” says Jaffer.  “You need the skills to get you there. Everyone needs a mentor, everyone needs an internship, everyone needs experience no matter what you want to do.”

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