#116 Helping Your Teen Pick the Right Major and Career with Deborah Allen

Flourish Coaching

Apr 2, 2024

In this episode, Lisa and Deborah discuss:

How to guide your teen through college and career discernment.
The crucial role self-awareness through ongoing reflection and family conversations.
Types of real-world experiences that allow teens to explore interests and develop skills.
Supporting, not leading, your teen through their journey of building professional connections and independence.

Key Takeaways:

No matter how many resources your student’s school has, work still needs to be done at the family level, especially around self-awareness.
“Knowing thyself” is the purpose of education. It is about more than just a final destination; it is rather the accumulation of wisdom, truth, and beauty.
Integrate deeper questions into the regular rhythms of life.
Invite your teen to have curiosity conversations with those in the fields they are interested in. This will help them develop their imagination and identify potential avenues for internships and other networking opportunities.
Encourage your teen to explore opportunities they are interested in. They might like it, they might not, and that’s fine! Self-awareness is not a linear discovery process.
Teach your teen to see the throughline of what they enjoy and who they are. No matter how many occupations they may have, who they are and how they show up does not change.

“Helping students understand that part of this discernment process and knowing who they are is not done in isolation. They need to look to the wise elders around them that can speak truth and can give them some perspective.” – Deborah Allen

About Deborah Allen:

Deborah Allen has been in education as both parent and professional for over 25 years. Her broad experience includes serving as a humanities instructor at both the high school and collegiate level, thesis coach, academic and career adviser, creating college counseling departments for private and public classical schools, and serving as a consultant for the Society for Classical Learning.

Deborah, founder of Athena College and Vocational Coaching, is a certified college counselor through NACCAP, who holds a BA in Communications from University of Florida, an MA in Humanities from California State, and a Professional Certification in Human Resource Development from University of Georgia, with post-graduate work at University of Dallas. She is a Highlands Battery Ability consultant.

Deborah and her family currently reside in Annapolis. In her spare time, Deborah enjoys volunteering as a master gardener and watershed steward, reading poetry, and traveling.

Episode References:

Ep 115 Making the Final College Decision with Marni Levine: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/115-making-the-final-college-decision-with-marni-levine/

Get Lisa’s Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career…(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret).

https://flourishcoachingco.com/video