Who Do You Think You Are?

10How Can You Try On Your Career Interests?

I (Shaun) changed my major in college three times. I started in physics, then changed to electrical engineering, and finally landed in economics. Even then I wasn't entirely sure that was right for me, as he also really liked Asian languages and Asian history, but he was running out of time to change my mind and needed to make a decision and finish his degree. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, about 80 percent of college students change their major at least once. The reason that young people are so likely to change their future educational and career interests is that they lack experience. We cannot truly know something until we try it. A fascination with history is one thing. Reading three books a week and writing five papers a semester is entirely different. Similarly, a fondness for babysitting and helping children is quite different from managing a classroom of twenty-five third graders, some of whom have significant learning differences, and making sure they are all on track to pass a test that measures Common Core Standards for math.

This sounds obvious, but it is remarkable how frequently we make educational and career decisions based on gut instinct or following the path of least resistance instead of actively trying to get some experience to better inform ourselves, even as adults. In this chapter we give you a set of strategies to discuss with your child about how he or she can try on career interests ...