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All those years of school are now nearing an end and your teenager is now faced with some possibly life changing choices & decisions. Well, that’s at least how you’re looking at it.

Seriously mum and dad, this is not about you!

Who’s really stressed out?

When speaking with parents about their child’s options and what’s facing them when they leave school, it becomes very clear who is more nervous about what lies ahead. And in most cases, if the child shows any signs of nerves or fear, then you can bet the house, at least one of the parents had something to do with it.

The expectations being placed on students starts early and by the time they hit high school, they better be ready. The school system in most countries around the world has a fascination with grading students, regardless of their age and placing pressure on them to maintain these results or else. After all, the school’s reputation is on the line and just imagine the impact bad results would have on the school’s ability to attract more high achievers the following year. Not to mention the growing evidence showing how this type of system kills off any creativity your child might have or could have shown under a less results driven system.

Then there’s YOU – mum and dad or let’s call you the ‘fun police’. Either one or both of you are dedicated to taking out all the fun of being in high school. Not to mention the huge numbers of parents who believe that their child should be off to university no matter what as anything else would be downright embarrassing.

It’s all about Perspective

Let’s put a few key points into perspective right now. Your child is about to complete over 12 years of education and to be honest, the last thing many of them want to do is go off to university for more study. Of course, let’s not forget about what an ‘expensive’ investment it is. If your child has decided to go off to complete a degree in accounting, teaching or engineering, then great and be there to support them as they go on this journey. But if your son or daughter decide to have a gap year and put some thought into their next move, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, there’s everything right about it but it should also not be a lost year of opportunity and you only need look at the number of university students who drop out or change from one degree to another, to realize that maybe this is not a bad idea.

For most high school students, the pressure is daunting and while some cope reasonably well, others do not. Remember, pressure comes in many forms and while we see the more obvious ones, like the education system, their teachers or the school and their friends & family, there’s others which we don’t always consider. The ease with which information is now available can be overwhelming for a lot of high school students and the explosion of social media into their world throws another set of challenges some of them do not cope very well with.

Don’t create your own Game show….

There are several ways you can reduce the pressure your child faces and they all focus around showing your young adult the respect & support they deserve. Don’t leave career focused discussions to the last minute but rather have them early on in their high school years. Leaving this to the last year of high school is like putting them on a game show with a buzzer in your hand and expecting luck to save the day.

While most schools have a career adviser, seek outside advice and even consider doing this 2 to 3 years from the end of high school, as there are other career options which don’t require the last 2 years of study. There’s also Google, so do some research on who would best suit your child’s needs and what choices there are regarding the career options they are focused on.

Preparation is key and while there are many other options, including seeking unpaid work experience to test the waters during school holidays or attending career expos or university open days together, preparing for this amazing journey they are about to embark on is crucial.

But remember, they will make mistakes and with so many years ahead of them, what’s the rush?