QCDC urges parents to ease pressure on teens unsure about career choices

Doha, Qatar - Parents should refrain from pressuring teenagers who are uncertain about their future university or career paths, a Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC) expert has advised. Senior Career Development Specialist Hamad Ali AlBadr emphasized that parents often feel the need to offer immediate answers when their children are unsure about their academic interests, especially during university application periods and scholarship deadlines.

AlBadr clarified that a "I don't know" response from a student doesn't imply carelessness or a lack of motivation. Instead, parents' role is to transform uncertainty into a structured process, not to have all the answers. He urged parents to foster a calm atmosphere for career discussions, avoiding pressure or discouraging language such as "You must decide now" or dismissing certain fields as lacking future prospects.

Instead, AlBadr suggested parents reassure their children that it's okay not to have all the answers yet, while emphasizing the importance of exploring options seriously. He recommended shifting away from broad questions like "What do you want to become?" and instead asking about subjects they enjoy, independent explorations, and problem-solving interests. Understanding personal values, such as stability, creativity, or social impact, can also help shape suitable career paths.

QCDC's Career Guide can serve as a useful resource for families, introducing themes, labour market trends, future skills, and insights from professionals. Discussing this material together can turn potentially stressful conversations into collaborative explorations. AlBadr also presented the LISTEN approach as a practical method for structuring career conversations, encouraging parents to Learn about their child's perspective, Inquire through open-ended questions, Synthesize interests and strengths, Translate aspirations into possible educational and career paths, and Empathize with the difficulty of decision-making, focusing on the next step rather than a final answer.

He stressed that a balanced career decision should consider interests, abilities, values, academic performance, labour market relevance, and future growth. Parents should encourage students to look beyond the name of a degree, considering the skills it develops, relevant sectors, and postgraduate pathways. In Qatar, where national development requires versatile and motivated young people, parents should also recognize when professional support from a qualified career counsellor may be beneficial.