What is one of the first questions an adult would ask you when you were little? You guessed it: what do you want to be when you grow up? Most children answer with exclamations of “a professional athlete!” or “an astronaut, they get to explore space!” But have we, as a society, taken the time to reflect upon how we restrict academic or interest-related exploration when we expect legitimate responses from kids?
Many argue that asking children questions about their ideal future occupation encourages them to explore career options. Instead of feeling bound by academic focuses related to career fields, children will feel inclined to find practical occupations that they would enjoy pursuing. But most schools provide personality tests that match kids with occupations that fit their interests and work habits, which do not require kids to perform extensive research about matched jobs. As convenient as this sounds, most students would not even consider occupations provided by these tests that did not align with their ideal career paths. They simply found jobs that fit with their preconceived careers. Instead of exploring newfound fields, childhood dreams of occupations, such as medicine and engineering, remained in the forefront of their minds. Students remained adamant in pursuing careers that they had previously established would be enjoyable, reflecting upon their responses to adults interrogating them about what they wanted to be when they grew up.
Another societal restriction on self-discovery revolves around stigma placed upon teenagers applying to universities. There is an enormous emphasis placed upon students deciding their majors and career paths prior to entering college, and those who know what they want to pursue are looked highly upon by adults and are presented with opportunities in their desired field in high school. This allows them to present universities with résumés that will improve their chances of acceptance. According to research published by Chau-Kiu Cheung, Hoi Yan Cheung and Joseph Wu from the City University of Hong Kong and the University of Macau, students are more successful and less stressed in college when they have better career preparation. This concept adds to the idea that undergraduates should have an idea of what they intend to pursue. These unnecessary pressures placed upon teenagers hinder exploration of alternative academic fields.
It is imperative that we, as a society, stop demanding that the youth comprehend the world we live in before they obtain the opportunity to explore it. Instead, we should encourage discussions that assist children in developing their personal interests. Questions posed around their favorite aspects of each subject presented in school, their top ten occupational interests and why they are appealing to them and how they hope to accomplish the greatest amount of exploration possible. All people are inherently curious; the latter means of discussion serves to stimulate curiosity in adventurous youth.
Ultimately, we need to be conscientious of childhood development. In order to foster generations with great creativity and passion for their occupations, we need to ensure that we do not force careers upon our children. As an esteemed neurosurgeon once told me, do not restrict yourself on occupational interests before you have to.