<p>I SO appreciate the feedback I received on my last post. Thank you!!</p>
<p>OK, if my teen (a rising junior in high school) is showing strong interest in a couple of possible directions for his college studies, what can I do to help him get experiences in these areas, so that he can discern how good of a fit they would be? He's not yet sure how good (or how talented) he is in these areas. Thanks!</p>
<p>You might get better advice if you say what areas your child is interested in.</p>
<p>In general, taking advanced courses in the subject or finding a club that involves the subject help (a math club or a science olympiad, etc). You could also look for volunteer opportunities in a field that would involve that particular subject, or job shadows in careers that would be a possibility if he majors in that subject.</p>
<p>In my experience, one of the best ways to discover a love for a subject (or a lack thereof) is to be around other people who love that subject.</p>
<p>As a start, be ready to do extra driving (or loaning car) to support their interests. </p>
<p>My kids went to an IB hs 10 miles from home and I work full time. It was not always possible to ensure transportation for every interest, but tried hard to help when feasible.</p>
<p>A summer program can help. Some colleges do business programs or science programs or engineering programs. My S went to an art school for their summer program in illustration. There are tons of educational opportunities but they do cost money, sometimes a lot.</p>
<p>My problem with work experience is that a teen isn’t usually qualified to,do anything but watch and get coffee. I’ve seen kids get turned off of areas of interest because they were bored or annoyed. I’ve seen kids that like the field more. I think it’s a toss up which is disappointing because too often the experience is very little like what they would do if they had a degree.</p>
<p>When my kid developed an interest in theatre tech/design, I picked up the telephone and called every single summer camp location within commuting distance that claimed to offer theatre activities, and asked this question: “Do you have anything for a theatre tech/design kid?” After a lot of “No” answers, I heard “Did I hear you say she does X?” Bingo. One unpaid summer experience with a great mentor that has led to many more great opportunities.</p>
<p>But you will notice that it was the mom who tracked down all the potential organizations to contact, worked out whether a commute would be do-able, made the initial phone calls, escorted the kid to the interview, helped the kid practice the new commute, and picked the kid up late at night umpteen times (this was a theatre gig after all). </p>
<p>In other words, much of the work is going to be on you. Be prepared for that. And do make sure that your kid is OK with you doing that work. Some aren’t, and consider any help from their parents to be butting in. In that case, you may want to enlist the help of other adults whose assistance your kid will accept such as family friends, friend’s parents, or teachers.</p>
<p>I think you should detach this focus from college admissions or college major or future career. If he is interested in a particular area or activity, he can first try to pursue it through school. If he needs something outside of school, he can volunteer, intern, find a mentor or teacher etc. It depends on what it is.</p>
<p>My son is a techie. He ended up doing a lot of theater tech. at school and then moved out to theater in the community. Also, I suggested a tour of the local tv station. I did not suggest volunteering, but just said he might find the tour cool. I knew he would then volunteer, which he did for 3 years, but his need for autonomy was such that I had to be tricky about it.</p>
<p>My other children are in performing arts. I had to track down teacher myself, but then never went in with them and let them have the relationship with the teacher: I stayed out of it as soon as the first lesson happened. But finding the teacher took some time, effort and I suppose some skills that a young person would not have. </p>
<p>And yes, lots of driving.</p>
<p>I always thought of this part of parenting as being like surfing. You see a wave, and you help them catch it.</p>
<p>“Helping a Teen Develop Their Passion”</p>
<p>The title of this thread made me laugh with those very active threads about dating and hooking up which are going on in the parent cafe!</p>
<p>My D got involved in Robotics junior year (first year there was a club at her high school) and enjoyed it. She thought she might have an interest in engineering, so we looked for a summer program with that focus. She also got into a summer program with a science research focus as well, but picked the engineering one to check that out more in depth. </p>
<p>Her conclusion was that she DIDN’T want to be an engineer, but as far as I am concerned that outcome was just fine. She did conclude that she is capable of doing the work, just doesn’t want to pursue it as a career. She figured it out before embarking on the major in college, and I am happy for that. The activity still went on her college applications, but she didn’t write about it in any essays. And she still competed with her Robotics team the next year, too. I helped out as a team mentor her senior year, too (mostly making sure no one got hurt and they all got fed).</p>
<p>Intparent,</p>
<p>Great story! What did your D decide to do instead?</p>
<p>She is thinking about a physics major, heading for Harvey Mudd in the fall. So honestly that dose of engineering will come in handy – she has to take an intro engineering class there as part of the core curriculum, and if she decides she likes the experimental side of physics it will be handy there as well.</p>