Leave him be this year. It’s too early. Maybe talk about interests and think about programs for next summer. The process is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t burn him out.
1 Like
If a sophomore doesn’t know what they want to do as a career they can still do meaningful ECs and prepare for college. My daughter had a large generalized passion and through community work and ECs she now has a more narrow career focus and clear choice of major as a senior. So rather than concentrating on eventual career pick an interest and develop that.
I missed the part where he is only a sophomore in high school. We didn’t worry about it until summer before senior year. That’s when she did the assessment and we seriously started talking about career path and a major to target college applications and scholarships.
Didn’t read the responses but I would say that even college kids have no idea what to major in - hence the undecided major. Hopefully between clubs or classes, they get an idea. Even today, so many majors are interdisciplinary and some can be made up - so you create a theme. And some schools, like College of Charleston, has General Studies - which is two majors.
At some point they’ll know - when math and science are out - so that leaves humanities or social science - or if you have thing like sports or hospitality, that has a lot of business…they’ll figure that out.
What they won’t know is what they want to do in life - and in 20 years they’ll look back and say - I didn’t even know this job existed when I was in college.
Just adding that my daughter did that assessment for career paths and got conductor or clown! Her friend got football player.
It’s normal for a hs sophomore not to know and it is fine to enter college undecided. Not too long ago, college major didn’t have to match career either-and I still maintain that can be okay too.
6 Likes
I think that most colleges number one major is undecided. That should tell you a lot. As stated above he is just a sophomore in high school. Just let him develop interests. He will find his MOJO. It doesn’t even have to be before college. It can be sophomore year IN college. I wouldn’t push it. I like you knew what I wanted to do in medicine at a young age. Not everyone is like that.
1 Like
Echoing what others are saying, here’s an anecdote. Attended a parent session during freshmen move in/orientation. Head of career services spoke. He asked us to raise our hands if our kid new what his major would be. Then whittled it down to knowing exactly what they want to do. By the end of his exercise, there were very few hands still raised. He made a point of saying how unusual it is for am 18 yr old to really know what they want to do with the rest of their lives, and even more rare for there to be no change in plans.
Rest assured you’re in good company.
2 Likes
Those assessments for careers are hilarious. I think our S19 got things like vending machine repair man. LOL!! He’s a junior at Bowdoin and liked all subjects when he was looking at colleges. Could have easily chosen history, English, math, poli sci, physics, art, on and on. Settled on double major in math and physics but has plenty of space to take all kinds of more liberal arts type subjects. I don’t think he’ll be repairing vending machines. Our D21 isn’t particularly interested in doing a lot more math or science but is considering psychology and has discovered she likes the science attached to that subject. She is also considering history, and English, and political science, and sociology and many more.
I know some kids think they know the careers they are headed for but we don’t see college as job training. One gets that experience from internships. Our son has already had three (marketing, engineering, and data analysis).
Entering a very specific program seems so risky since the majority of kids change their minds. It’s hard for my doctor friends to go with the flow with their kids too because their own paths were so specific, but most people try a few different careers before settling on one (if they settle for just one at all!)
4 Likes
Hahahahahha! Those careers sound more like suggestions for Halloween costumes. 
3 Likes
My son got “clerk” - also “actor” (even though he has never participated in any type of theater) - as career possibilities. We definitely had a laugh about it.
6 Likes
My son got “midwife”!
6 Likes
And I thought the suggestion my daughter got was oddly specific (engineering professor but not engineer). Vending machine repair man is priceless.
Now I’m curious though, how DOES one become a vending machine repair man? Apprenticeship, maybe?
3 Likes
My son also took the YouScience assessment. 25 out of the 30 career results were types of engineers. He’s a mathy kid so it made sense. The other few results were business related… plus an outlier- archaeologist. It will be interesting to see if engineering ends up being his life calling!
1 Like
My D24 has no idea, either. I agree that sampling different things is the way to go.
1 Like
When I ask my son what he wants to be he replies bounty hunter…
7 Likes
My D is 24 years old and still has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up (still hasn’t gone to college either). Early Childhood education is on the list but probably because she has an 18 mos old. Early on in hs she wanted to be a forensic scientist (hates math and science) or a pro soccer player. Sigh. Many kids have no idea at that age and just need to look around in college.
I went to college visits with no clue other than saying I loved math and science. One school said “Be an engineer, we have all these scholarships.” I was like ok. So I’m an engineer. I didn’t really like it that much but found my niche in aerospace operations - love it but I do almost no actual engineering just use my engineering knowledge. (I was an electical engineer with a biomed specialization, and a math major)
My husband in hs wanted to be a German teacher or a Chemist so majored in chemistry and minored in German. After an internship realized he wanted to be a chemical engineer not a chemist so went to grad school for that. Then he specialized in petroleum engineering and went to work for an oil company. There he decided he wanted to be a lawyer so went to law school. That is what he is today.
So many changes. My S is an anomaly. He wanted to be a lawyer when he was little (I knew that was a bad fit!) then one day before Freshman year in hs came home after summer camp and told me he had decided he wanted to be an equine veterinarian. Well, he is in his second year of vet school now but has dropped the equine part. Today he wants to be a veterinary cardiologist but still has time to explore specializations.
So with lots of words, your kid is totally normal. Undecided or Undeclared is ok.
1 Like
Mine just says “rich” (which kind of makes me die a little inside, but…it’s her life, not mine).
4 Likes
My D19’s said she should be a farmer. She thinks thinks that was because she marked that she was strong and liked being outside (She’s a distance runner.) She’s a junior civil engineering major.
4 Likes
Just talked to kid. #1 clown #2 magician and the first “real” job was #5 journalist.
They had to do a presentation on their chosen career. She did a presentation on journalism but wore a clown nose.
The volunteer teacher working on this assessment project told her she should take it more seriously so she asked if she should quit school and join the circus.
9 Likes
My nephew struggled in HS - not sure he graduated. Bounced around - restaurant host, retail worker, warehouse worker.
Started taking classes at community college. Decided he wanted to be an accountant. Very impressive - at 25, got his degree in accounting at UNLV.
Had a couple of accounting jobs.
When he was furloughed for covid after a month from a major corporation in accounting, he declined to go back when they called him.
He made some money at crypto - and trades stocks - not day trading - but definitely trading.
This is all before 30.
I still don’t know what I want to do and I’m 53. I just know what I do pays the bills. Well I think I want to go to law school - maybe when I retire.
So there’s lots of time - if you get experience, good things will happen- you’ll learn things, you’ll get a sense of accomplishment, you’ll meet people, you’ll see others gaining success, and you’ll then step up.
It’s the same in college - exposure, exposure, exposure - eventually it’ll lead you to something you never envisioned and 30 years later…it’ll have all worked out.
3 Likes