The Likely Culprit Behind Your Teen’s Lack of Motivation for Career Stuff

Why Teens Lack Motivation for Career Stuff: Part 1

Is there an issue or topic in your life that generates unpleasant emotions?

Humans consciously and unconsciously avoid things that are associated with pain; it’s part of our design. I’m guessing you prefer to avoid your unpleasant topic.

I think you and your unmotivated teen may have a lot in common here.

Today I’m kicking off our next LA12 theme...Why Teens Lack Motivation For Career Stuff.

This is the number one concern expressed amongst the thousands of parents I interact with.

Over the next four emails, I want to help you understand what’s going on and what you can do without making things worse.

I know it can be frustrating to watch your kid express so little interest in such a significant topic.

We know there's a lot of waste associated with moving forward without a True Job Match, but figuring out career direction requires a young person to care about the issue and take ownership.

Easy to Assume

It’s easy to assume your child’s lack of motivation is a character issue and to slap a negative label on them, like "lazy" or "indifferent".

This may be true for some young people, but I believe most of them actually do care. I believe they do want to figure things out, but there’s a lot of confusion and negative emotions associated with figuring out their futures.

Strong Negativity

In fact, these are the top ten words young people use when talking about how their career confusion makes them feel:

Lost
Anxious
Panic
Alone
Overwhelmed
Desperate
Pressure Ashamed
Stressed
Worried
Afraid

That’s some pretty heavy stuff!

No wonder they tend to avoid the topic.

Increase Empathy
Please keep this list of words in mind the next time you’re upset at your teen's seeming lack of interest in career stuff.

It’s likely they’re avoiding the negativity of the topic just as you avoid the negativity associated with the subject you identified at the beginning of the email.

I’m not excusing your child’s indifference; I just want you to realize that there might be a lot more going on below the surface.

So, when it comes to lacking motivation for figuring out their career path, try to show a bit more empathy and compassion.

Why Teens Lack Motivation for Career Stuff

Part 1: The Likely Culprit Behind Your Teen’s Lack of Motivation for Career Stuff (currently reading)

Part 2: Stop Wishing Your Teen Was Motivated for Career Stuff and Do This Instead

Part 3: How Your Teen Can Identify a Job of Interest

START A CONVO
Initiate a conversation with your child about this subject using the following prompts:

I recently learned that a majority of young people are often unmotivated to discuss future career plans because the topic is associated with confusion and strong negative emotions. Do you think that's true among your friends?
Is it true for you?

THE FREE RESOURCE
The free resource associated with this theme is 12 Simple Questions for Identifying a Job of Interest. You can get your FREE copy HERE.

RELATED RESOURCES

The MapInMe Journey is a unique one-to-one customized coaching experience for teens and twenty-somethings that identifies a True Job Match so they can move forward with clarity and confidence and avoid wasting time, money, and effort.

About the Author

Jay DuSold

Jay has spent over three decades working with young people and parents as a mentor and life coach. He started focusing exclusively on career guidance in 2014 after helping his son figure out career direction while he was a junior in high school.

As a youth career guide, he helps teens and twenty-somethings around the world identify a job fit to gain clarity and confidence about career direction so they’ll reach their full potential and avoid the waste of getting it wrong.

As an author and speaker, he equips young people to think differently about their identity, true success, and figuring out where they can be awesome in the world of work. He also empowers youth advocates and organizations to more effectively support the young people they serve through their career guidance initiatives.