I received the following question:

I have a 9th grade who wants to be an actor, yet tests gifted in science and math. What do I do?

It's a tricky situation, and one that a lot of parents find themselves in at some point. Having worked with many clients where the student was interested in a field but the parent knew that they were stronger in other areas, here are my top 5 tips.

1. Ask Questions

Stop and ask your teen "why?" Why are you interested in that field? What draws you to that industry? What do you think that job consists of, and why do you believe that would be a good fit for you? Sometimes asking questions can uncover an underlying interest that may lead to other career considerations. 

2. Focus on Positives Rather Than Negatives

Sometimes it helps to turn the conversation away from what you don't think would be a good fit, and instead focus on what they are naturally good at! Taking personality or strengths tests and discussing the results can be...

One of the primary things I focus on as college prep consultant is to actually get families to stop focusing so much on college, and instead start focusing on career routes.

After all, you aren't raising your teen to be a college student, are you? You are raising them to be an adult! The goal is that they are prepared for a career path.

I've created a 4-week Career Prep Challenge, but really the process I take in there is what I would recommend for students regardless of whether they are in the challenge or not.

1. Take some personality/strengths tests

One thing this does is move the focus away from a negative (what a student doesn't know about their direction/future) to a positive (a student's natural strengths/gifts/abilities). This is motivating and encouraging, and also gives students the tools to articulate who they are better to a career professional down the road. In my challenge, I have several personality tests that I recommend (you can also check out my...

One of the most frequent questions I get from parents is "how can I best help my teen figure out a career path?"

There are several tools that can help, but I always recommend starting with personality or strengths tests. There are a variety of options, but ultimately a personality or strengths test is a short quiz (taking anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending upon the exam) that provides a categorization of characteristic patterns of behavior that might be exhibited in different scenarios. Obviously these tests aren't flawless, and some will fit certain people better than others and all will have their strengths and weaknesses, but they are a good starting point.

I recommend all high school students to take at least one personality test in high school. There are four reasons in particular why I think this is the best route:

1. Personality tests provide insight.

Personality tests provide insight about the student that is beneficial for...