Helping your teenager plan for their future is increasingly difficult in a society that places a high value on college education but doesn’t have a stable enough economy to provide good jobs for every graduate. Because of this, it is necessary for parents to take an involved approach to make sure their teen has a firm understanding of the action they should take to give themselves the best chance of a secure future. Here are three tips on how to help your teen plan for their education and career future.
Be Aware of College Education Fraud
In the past, the majority of people with a college degree were able to find work in their desired field. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. It has caused a lot of people to question whether or not college is their best option. As if making this decision wasn’t difficult enough, there has also been a steady increase in cases of education fraud.
For example, there are several online schools that promise to provide students with a worthwhile degree, but many of them have been created with the sole intention of making money from naive individuals. Whether your teen enrolls in an online or brick and mortar college, you should keep an eye out for signs of education fraud such as a lack of coursework and easy grades.
If you have any reason to believe your teen was swindled by education fraud, you should contact a whistleblower attorney to help you report the situation and take legal action. An experienced attorney, such as Goldberg Kohn, can help stop fraud while helping to ensure the rights and protections for the whistleblower.
Investigate the Anticipated Return on Investment
If your teen’s college education costs more money than they can be anticipated to make in their chosen field within the first few years, they could be setting themselves up for a huge financial failure.
After all, they will be responsible for repaying their student loans after college ends, and they will need to be able to pay for all of their regular monthly expenses such as housing and food.
It is also important to note many degree programs are over utilized. This creates an influx of eligible candidates every year for a limited number of jobs. Due to this, it often makes more sense for people to pick a proven field that typically has a much lower unemployment rate.
Pay Close Attention to Your Teen’s Desires
One of the biggest mistakes parents make is having too much involvement in the educational and future career path of their children. Although it is helpful for you to help them avoid educational scams and investigate whether their chosen field is a viable option, you also need to listen to what they want to do with their life.
After all, if you try to force them into following a specific career path, they will be much less likely to listen to any other advice that you have about their future. This does not mean that you cannot help them determine if their ideal field is a viable option, but you will need to make sure you do not come off as overly negative if you want them to take your words to heart.
Ultimately, the most important thing that you can do to help your teen prepare for their future is to be realistic with them without imposing any expectations on their future career. If you follow this approach, it should be much easier for you to help them avoid issues such as education fraud so that they will be in a better position to find work in a field that they enjoy.
Lisa Coleman shares some ways a parent can influence and impact their teen’s future regarding education. She recently read online at the website of Goldberg Kohn about education fraud and how this can saddle down students with unmanageable and unneeded debt.
Please rate this post using the Stars and Thumbs below. Thank you.
