Gen Z Wants Career Advice. But Their Parents Are Lost Too

Good news, parents: your children of the Z generation listen to you – at least with regard to their post -high plans.

In a recent survey by Gallup and Jobs for the Future, 90% of students from the Z generation said they trust their parents to advise them on the next steps after high school. The teachers were a distant second at 54% – and social media did not even fall for two figures.

The bad news?

Parents say they don’t know enough about the vast majority of precious education and training options that their children could continue. They are particularly in the dark of everything that does not pursue a career directly or does not have a baccalaureate. And parents are not alone.

The survey revealed that even school advisers – professionals specifically Responsible for providing this type of advice – depending on whether they feel sub -prepare to help students adapt to the landscape of future work. After all, there is a finite number of traditional colleges, but an apparently infinite number of tracks beyond the university. What comes after high school can now easily mean registering for a short -term training program, join the army, start a business or enter recorded apprenticeship.

Although the data systematically demonstrates that workers with a traditional four -year diploma earn more than those without, students today have a range of education and training options, including references and learning, which can also lead to a serious increase in profits. But most of these programs still lack reliable data to prove that it really leads to a good return on investment – so it is not surprising that they can be difficult to sail for parents or other mentors.

The challenge is particularly acute for first generation students or those of low -income households, who are much less likely to know the high quality post -secondary options than those whose parents have gone to the university. An investigation in 2023 carried out by JFF and American Student Assistance revealed that nearly a third of the high school graduates who did not pursue the college declared that they lacked confidence in the knowledge of the stages they needed to go to a career or to an education after the high school. About two thirds said they would have considered alternative track programs if they had more information about them.

A single conversation can open a door. The survey of this spring revealed that in average, adolescents whose parents discussed a particular path with them are about twice as likely that their peers to say that they are interested in this way. But parents cannot have these conversations if they are not aware of the full whole of options themselves.

Fortunately, there are ways to help.

For students, it can be as simple as to ask your parents, tutors or other adults how they found themselves in the work in which they are. You can be surprised by their answers.

And parents have a role to play by directing these career conversations and starting them early. Weave conversations on careers in everyday life and normal school days – not just captured in unique career days. Visit colleges in person and encourage your children to try a summer internship. Help them understand how their interests and curiosities connect to both jobs and what they learn. Take advantage of resources like the way we see each other, which highlights the experiences of nearly 4,000 students on their post-high journeys. And explore local boards of directors, community colleges and training programs led by employers who offer more and more free or low -cost routes in the fields sought.