5 Facts to Youth Career Coaching
Natascha Saunders
CEO of The Youth Career Coach, Inc.
Forest Of The Rain Productions asked Natascha Saunders, CEO of The Youth Career Coach, Inc.to provide five important facts related to youth career coaching.
5 Facts to Youth Career Coaching
1. Use Dreams as a Starting Point: At some point youth have dreamed about their future. As a parent, educator, mentor and adult it’s our role to encourage them to think big and share their ideas. Imagining their future is the first step in making it a reality. Don’t be concerned if their ideas seem impractical or grandiose. Dreams are not the commitment it’s the starting point in talking about what kind of future they hope for.
2. Share Your Story: You may be uncertain if you have a career or if you’ve just held paying jobs. However, a career is bigger than how you earn a living. A career encompasses everything such as: volunteer work, travel, talks you’ve given, articles you’ve published, even if you’re a stay-at home parent - you’ve got a career! Your youth may not know about all the various experiences you’ve held which have shaped and influenced you. Share!
3. Find Interests and Strengths: Youth have many interests in certain classes, sports, hobbies, books, movies, games, talking, art, etc. These can all offer clues into what kind of work they may enjoy. You may think just because a youth likes crime shows it doesn’t mean they should be a forensic scientist, but it can be a good place to pinpoint specific activities, working styles, environments, etc. that peek their interest and spark a conversation.
4. Research Careers: There are sites like www.TheYouthCareerCoach.com, www.InsideJobs.com and www.vaview.vt.edu, and www.bls.gov/k12 that have career profile links on what specific jobs entail. Some key points for comparing careers: (a) Work Activities / Day to Day, (b) Training and Qualifications, (c) Salary, and (d) Future Job Outlook. Encourage youth to create a list of top five careers they may want to research and learn about.
5. Connect the Dots between Education and Careers: Once some careers have been identified, the next step is to determine what education he/she will need to pursue such a career. Not all jobs require education after high school, but getting a certificate or degree opens up the door to more career choices, higher paying jobs and bigger opportunities.
In conclusion, we can all take steps forward in helping to begin this career conversation. Start with the right attitude. Talk with youth about their career dreams. Share information about your career. Help youth pinpoint interests. Ensure youth explore many different career options. Encourage youth to plan for after high school education. Lastly, keep an open dialogue.
By starting the career conversation, we are setting youth up for career success!
These 5 Facts were written by: Natascha Saunders, CEO of The Youth Career Coach Inc. where she helps students’ clarity their purpose, write their vision and take action to achieve their goals. Learn more at: www.TheYouthCareerCoach.com and Twitter @TaschaSaunders
Bio: Natascha is a passionate Consultant, Coach and Facilitator. She is inspirational, wise beyond her years and a strategic thinker who is able to help identify and solve complex problems. As a former Assistant Director of Career Services, HR Manager, IVY+ MBA Admissions Member and Financial Associate, she customizes her consulting style to help clients develop as leaders. As the founder of a career consulting firm est. in Boston, now based in Alexandria, VA that serves youth, adults and corporations such as: EMD Serono, KPMG, YearUp and Target; The YCC Inc., and Natascha have provided executive coaching, developed curriculum, crafted workshops, helped speakers brand and led intern recruiting for clients.
An exemplary leader, she has spoken to corporations, universities, non-profits and provided webinars on career and leadership development topics. She's contributed to media outlets such as: InsideJobs, ABC, COX, METRO, CKNW, and SheKnows. The Women’s Empowerment Convention at Harvard named Natascha their 2010 Woman of the Year and in 2014/15 Northeastern nominated her for Teaching Excellence.
Certified in Career Coaching by PARW/CC, Natascha is an Executive Education Alumna of Harvard Kennedy School in Leading Change, and MIT Sloan in Entrepreneurship, trained in Mediation from Harvard Law, an MBA graduate of Johnson & Wales, a master's degree holder and doctoral candidate in Leadership & Communication at Northeastern University, and she earned a Bachelor's in Image Consulting from UMASS Amherst.
5 Facts to Youth Career Coaching
1. Use Dreams as a Starting Point: At some point youth have dreamed about their future. As a parent, educator, mentor and adult it’s our role to encourage them to think big and share their ideas. Imagining their future is the first step in making it a reality. Don’t be concerned if their ideas seem impractical or grandiose. Dreams are not the commitment it’s the starting point in talking about what kind of future they hope for.
2. Share Your Story: You may be uncertain if you have a career or if you’ve just held paying jobs. However, a career is bigger than how you earn a living. A career encompasses everything such as: volunteer work, travel, talks you’ve given, articles you’ve published, even if you’re a stay-at home parent - you’ve got a career! Your youth may not know about all the various experiences you’ve held which have shaped and influenced you. Share!
3. Find Interests and Strengths: Youth have many interests in certain classes, sports, hobbies, books, movies, games, talking, art, etc. These can all offer clues into what kind of work they may enjoy. You may think just because a youth likes crime shows it doesn’t mean they should be a forensic scientist, but it can be a good place to pinpoint specific activities, working styles, environments, etc. that peek their interest and spark a conversation.
4. Research Careers: There are sites like www.TheYouthCareerCoach.com, www.InsideJobs.com and www.vaview.vt.edu, and www.bls.gov/k12 that have career profile links on what specific jobs entail. Some key points for comparing careers: (a) Work Activities / Day to Day, (b) Training and Qualifications, (c) Salary, and (d) Future Job Outlook. Encourage youth to create a list of top five careers they may want to research and learn about.
5. Connect the Dots between Education and Careers: Once some careers have been identified, the next step is to determine what education he/she will need to pursue such a career. Not all jobs require education after high school, but getting a certificate or degree opens up the door to more career choices, higher paying jobs and bigger opportunities.
In conclusion, we can all take steps forward in helping to begin this career conversation. Start with the right attitude. Talk with youth about their career dreams. Share information about your career. Help youth pinpoint interests. Ensure youth explore many different career options. Encourage youth to plan for after high school education. Lastly, keep an open dialogue.
By starting the career conversation, we are setting youth up for career success!
These 5 Facts were written by: Natascha Saunders, CEO of The Youth Career Coach Inc. where she helps students’ clarity their purpose, write their vision and take action to achieve their goals. Learn more at: www.TheYouthCareerCoach.com and Twitter @TaschaSaunders
Bio: Natascha is a passionate Consultant, Coach and Facilitator. She is inspirational, wise beyond her years and a strategic thinker who is able to help identify and solve complex problems. As a former Assistant Director of Career Services, HR Manager, IVY+ MBA Admissions Member and Financial Associate, she customizes her consulting style to help clients develop as leaders. As the founder of a career consulting firm est. in Boston, now based in Alexandria, VA that serves youth, adults and corporations such as: EMD Serono, KPMG, YearUp and Target; The YCC Inc., and Natascha have provided executive coaching, developed curriculum, crafted workshops, helped speakers brand and led intern recruiting for clients.
An exemplary leader, she has spoken to corporations, universities, non-profits and provided webinars on career and leadership development topics. She's contributed to media outlets such as: InsideJobs, ABC, COX, METRO, CKNW, and SheKnows. The Women’s Empowerment Convention at Harvard named Natascha their 2010 Woman of the Year and in 2014/15 Northeastern nominated her for Teaching Excellence.
Certified in Career Coaching by PARW/CC, Natascha is an Executive Education Alumna of Harvard Kennedy School in Leading Change, and MIT Sloan in Entrepreneurship, trained in Mediation from Harvard Law, an MBA graduate of Johnson & Wales, a master's degree holder and doctoral candidate in Leadership & Communication at Northeastern University, and she earned a Bachelor's in Image Consulting from UMASS Amherst.