As parents, you know that the career choices we make at high school and college can hold us back for years or propel us into successful and happy futures.
Many young people have just embarked on a new stage of their education, perhaps starting high school or university,and both kids and parents may be concerned about the career decisions which must be made in the near future.
In fact, younger children may also be deciding on exam subjects, with the knowledge that choices made at an early age can influence career options later in life.
With growing insecurity in the labour market and a huge increase in the number of short term contracts, it is no longer a given that today's graduates will automatically get the top jobs.
In fact, as more and more young people gain a degree, the number of high level openings available to them decreases.
In addition, careers advice in schools and colleges is often limited and this makes getting one of those coveted jobs even more difficult.
The reality is that most young people between 14 and 18 have very little idea of what they would like to be when they leave full-time education.
So how can you, as a parent, help your child to make good decisions regarding a career?.
Especially if your teenagers are going through a phase of disregarding everything have to say.
Many parents, concerned for their child's future financial security, will try to persuade their offspring to go for a safe career in one of the well established professions like law, medicine or teaching.
Fine, if this is the child's choice.
However, in many cases it is not and this leads to further rifts between the generations.
The best solution is to encourage your child to investigate careers which interest him and then to make his own decision - even if it's one you disagree with.
This may be difficult, but if you can remember back to your own school days, you probably had a few people stepping on your dreams.
Allowing a child the freedom to decide doesn't mean that you have no input.
You can suggest that he researches the career and others which are related to it.
You can ask questions which will help him come to an informed decision.
But be sure that your questions are asked in a positive tone and not in a way that suggests he is making a mistake.
Help him find people already doing the job who will chat to him and recommend that he gets a summer or weekend job in the industry.
If your children are younger, encourage them to read about different careers and introduce them to new ideas, without putting any pressure on them.
How can a 14 year old, or an 18 year old for that matter, know what he or she wants to do for the next 50 years? In fact, how can anyone know they want to follow a particular career, if they've never tried it? The answer, of course, is that they can't be sure - at least not one hundred percent.
So, the more background information your child can have before starting out in a new career, the better.
This includes the ability to write a good résumé and to build a strong network of contacts.
Would you like to help your children succeed? I've just completed a series of e-books and reports which will take you step by step through the whole process.
You can download a free preview at Planning to Succeed" © Waller Jamison 2007