Career Guidance for Homeschoolers Inspiring Children By Linking Their Interests with Their Possible Futures

Written for parents of elementary, middle, and high school age children, Career Guidance for Homeschoolers is a combination career exploration curriculum, career counseling manual, and childhood career development handbook. It challenges the conventional idea that focused career exploration and learning should be delayed until late adolescence or early adulthood. Career Guidance doesn't force children to make premature career decisions. It provides them age-appropriate and developmentally relevant career education. Introducing career guidance during childhood helps children think about their interests and abilities in career relevant terms. This can prevent the natural tendency to shape future career aspirations based on limited assumptions and stereotypes rather than children's unique interests, abilities, personalities, and values. It is well known that children who excel academically are afforded additional learning opportunities, take full advantage of the education provided them, and usually have greater career and occupational options to choose from later in life. However, it's also true that dedicated career exploration during childhood enhances academic motivation and leads to better academic performance. Early career education makes academic learning meaningful to children. Research shows that children experiencing career exploration in the natural course of their educations are more likely to be academically engaged and successful. Career Guidance for Homeschoolers gives parents access to a comprehensive career assessment designed for homeschooled children (age 9 and up) and includes a complete career exploration curriculum in one convenient book. The curriculum is closely linked to the on-line career assessment and a massive occupational database. It includes more than 20 fun activities that help children learn how their current interests are understandable in career related terms. They expand and enrich their knowledge about the world of work through age-appropriate research projects, artistic creations, and other learning activities. Children gain the tools to think about their futures in ways responsive to their unique individual interests, personalities, abilities, and values. Career Guidance for Homeschoolers is thoroughly researched and grounded in career development theory and practice. Parents and children learn about Holland's six career personality types or interest areas. They learn how their abilities and skills may relate to specific careers. Children become familiar with important tools and resources to facilitate long-term career decision-making. Career Guidance for Homeschoolers also includes a powerful approach to understand children's preferred ways of learning based on psychological type theory. Parents gain detailed information about their children's preferred learning styles, motivators, preferred work environments, interpersonal strengths, potential learning obstacles, and suggested identity development or growth strategies. A mature career identity is best achieved by pursuing active, effective career exploration during childhood and early adolescence. This culminates in a commitment to a more specific career path during late adolescence and early adulthood. Career Guidance for Homeschoolers is the best resource available for parents to help children build a solid foundation to make genuine, industrious, and meaningful career decisions by the time they're young adults.