Introduction: Why It’s Important to Talk About Careers in Childhood

I often reflect on how our world is transforming and how the professional universe has expanded dramatically in recent years. Once limited to the familiar trinity of “doctor, engineer, teacher,” careers are now encompassing an ever-evolving array of roles from app designers and climate analysts to UX researchers, policy advocates and even ethical hackers. Moreover, the professions emerging today were barely conceivable a decade ago, while those of tomorrow remain shrouded in possibility.

In today’s times, as a parent or guardian, you must help your children learn about careers early on. Through thousands of counselling sessions, we have observed that children who are exposed to a kaleidoscope of possibilities flourish more than those being shepherded down a single path. Early awareness of career options does more than prepare your children for college or employment; it inculcates confidence, resilience, and adaptability, enabling them to make informed choices. This is precisely why, at Lesli India, we integrate career exploration tools, profile-building exercises, and professional counselling to help students craft a future that resonates with their individual strengths and aspirations. It is not about forcing choices, but about awakening curiosity, guiding exploration, and nurturing the confidence to dream.

In this article, we recommend five simple, practical ways for parents who want to help nurture this awareness in their children. When we see children exposed to discussions about different jobs, interests, or career paths early on, we see them make informed choices later with regards to stream selection (for Grade 8–10), subject choice (Grade 11–12), possibly even thinking ahead about studying abroad or locally, and also about what kind of scholarships or tests they might need to prepare for.

At Lesli India, our Career Counselling Services begin with a psychometric test that measures aptitude, motivation, and personality, helping young people and their parents understand which careers might suit them best. But how do you build that foundation? How do you teach kids about careers in ways that are fun, natural, and effective? Let us walk you through five ways we often recommend.

1. Talk About What People Around You Do

One of the simplest yet most powerful ways to broaden a child’s perspective on careers is to have conversations about work regularly. 

Too often, adults cloak their professional lives with a vague description or by simply stating “I have a meeting,” or “I’m busy with work”, and children are left with no sense of what that really means. Instead, narrate and explain, in age-appropriate language, what you actually do, why it matters, and how you solve problems. 

Get them to focus on observing people in their immediate surroundings and what they do professionally. Point out the variety of roles your friends, neighbours, or relatives occupy, for example, the aunt who designs software interfaces, the uncle who manages a hotel, or the neighbour who runs a logistics startup. These seemingly casual exchanges demystify the world of work, turning abstract job titles into living, breathing examples. In doing so, you spark curiosity and help your child see the rich tapestry of opportunities that lie beyond the narrow confines of traditional careers. 

You can also use everyday situations: if your child sees a delivery person, a nurse, an engineer, a teacher, or a shopkeeper, talk about what they do. “What do you think that person does all day?” Involve friends or extended family by asking them to tell “job stories.” At dinner, share what mommy, daddy, aunt, uncle, sibling do in their work, what they like, what they find hard or what they would have wanted to do differently?

Don’t relegate career thinking to a single milestone, like Grade 10, when stream selection becomes crucial. Make it a natural part of dinner-table conversation or car rides, just as you would talk about books or holidays. Encourage questions, speculate together about the “jobs of the future,” and share your own career missteps and learnings. We at Lesli believe conversations like these lay the groundwork for what specific jobs entail and reveal roles kids might never have imagined.

2. Use Books, Videos & Games for Career Exposure

We live in a time of incredible multimedia access. Books, documentaries, podcasts, and even carefully chosen films offer immersive, playful, and active ways to teach children about the lives of people in unusual professions. 

Explore these resources together as a part of a weekly or monthly ritual. Pick children’s books that show a wide variety of job stories where the main characters are chefs, scientists, astronauts, or artists. Watch videos detailing a day in the life of a doctor, a software engineer, or an environmentalist. YouTube and many educational platforms often have these videos. Use games or apps that simulate running a business, designing a building, or managing a farm. Indulge your child in role-play games where they pretend to be a vet, or you can pretend to be a botanist.

Moreover, you can curate stories about scientists, social entrepreneurs, designers, policy shapers, explorers, and ethical hackers, and then discuss what excites your child about each story and the qualities the protagonists exhibit. This approach not only broadens their mental map of careers but also helps them see value like perseverance, creativity, and empathy in action. 

3. Take Kids on Field Visits

Observation, as Aristotle said, is often the beginning of wisdom, and nowhere is this truer than in a child’s understanding of work. Children absorb far more by seeing and experiencing than by simply listening. Field visits allow them to watch professionals in action, turning abstract job titles into vivid realities.

Begin with what’s close at hand, invite your child to shadow you on “bring-your-child” day at your own work, or let them participate in age-appropriate workshops. Even small home projects, such as building a mock app, designing a marketing poster, or running a mini bake sale, will give them a tactile sense of how ideas become output. 

Extend this learning beyond your own world by visiting a bakery, hospital, fire station or architecture studio. Better still, arrange a short job shadowing stint or internship where a teenager can spend a few hours alongside someone in a profession they are curious about. Meeting community helpers, such as police officers, scientists, or artists, also makes these careers more relatable.

Such experiences reveal what actually goes on in the workplace, and children can see firsthand what skills need to be learned, honed and applied. This can also help them make career choices that feel concrete rather than theoretical.

When students weigh options like studying abroad versus studying in India, our counsellors at Lesli India explain not only the academic pathways but also the non-academic attributes valued in different sectors. We actively encourage students to take up internships, short projects and shadowing opportunities early on, so that decisions about courses and careers are grounded in real experience rather than guesswork.

4. Encourage Curiosity and Questions

The questions a child poses are often more illuminating than the answers we provide. Curiosity is the true engine that drives learning, and it thrives when adults make room for it. 

Encourage your child to ask, “What do you do at work?” “What do you enjoy about your job?” “Do you use a computer?” “Do you travel?”  Remember, your answer to each of these questions is a window into a world they can barely imagine.

When such questions arise, resist the temptation to wave them off as “too complicated.” Instead, translate your answers into language and examples they can grasp. Always keep the dialogue alive and as interests shift and new professions emerge in technology, sustainability, artificial intelligence and beyond, it’s perfectly natural for a child to wonder, “What if I want to do something different tomorrow?” Answer this question with patience and do not misconstrue it as the child’s inability to decide but rather look at it as their growth in action.

To unpack their curiosity and understand themselves better, every student at Lesli India begins with our signature psychometric assessment, designed to uncover not just what they can do but what they want to do — their motivations, aptitudes and personality. Using these insights, our counsellors engage with children’s questions, explore alternative pathways, and help them envision multiple professions rather than a single, preordained career track.

5. Explore Strengths and Interests Together

Perhaps the most crucial step in nurturing career awareness is to understand your child’s unique blend of strengths, interests and values. Understanding this builds future confidence and supports long-term satisfaction.

We urge parents to harness their child's spark of curiosity by connecting it to real-world roles in animals, climate, coding, fashion, or music. For example, a fascination with animals could lead to an interest in biology, veterinary science, or wildlife conservation. A love of gaming could point towards game design, behavioural psychology, or e-sports management. By linking passions to professions, you help children understand that careers aren’t imposed from outside but can be crafted from their own enthusiasms.

Observe what they enjoy and then encourage them to indulge in art, numbers, nature, helping people, and solving puzzles. Let them try different things, like science kits, art classes, coding apps, music, sports, and even volunteering or participating in clubs.

At Lesli, our psychometric assessments, combined with counsellor insights, help your child translate their interests into concrete career pathways, so they can align their passions with real opportunities.  We believe assisting children to make career choices is not just about external options, but about inner alignment and hence, our Profile Building services for school and college students help plan actions: internships, projects, extracurriculars, and leadership roles that match what the student is passionate about and competent.

Conclusion: Building Career Awareness, One Step at a Time

To recap, the five ways we suggest for how to teach kids about careers are:

1. Talk about what people around you do

2. Use books, videos & games for career exposure

3. Take kids on field visits

4. Encourage curiosity and questions

5. Explore strengths and interests together

We at Lesli India are firm believers that awareness of various careers cannot be covered in a single session, a test, or a milestone; it is a continuing conversation, one you carry forward with warmth, openness, and insight.

If you are a parent reading this, let me assure you that you don’t need to be an expert in every career. What matters is that you are present, that you explore with your child, ask the questions, support the experiments, and when they are ready, get them professional guidance. Our Career Counselling Services and Career Planning Strategies at Lesli India are designed to support exactly that journey. We partner with you and your child to make informed decisions, build firm profiles, and think beyond immediate grades to longer‐term growth.

FAQs

What age should I start talking to my child about careers?

As early as Grade 5–7. When they can ask questions and imagine what people do. Early discussions help build career awareness for children without pressure.

How do I explain complex jobs to young kids?

Use analogies, simple examples, stories. For example, compare a surgeon’s precision to a baker icing a cake, or a data scientist’s puzzle to sorting colours or shapes. Keep it visual.

Can career talk add pressure to kids?

It can—if it’s done in a stress-laden way. But if it's exploratory, curiosity-driven, supportive, and at your child's pace, it becomes inspiring rather than oppressive. At Lesli, our counselling considers motivation and personality, not just aptitude or test scores. 

What if my child changes interests often?

That’s normal. Interests evolve. The key is flexibility—let them try, explore, and even change direction. The tools at Lesli help reassess and adjust the path (via follow-ups in counselling). 

Should I take my child’s career dreams seriously at a young age?

Absolutely. Even if they change, listening validates their identity and boosts confidence. Supporting early dreams doesn’t lock them in forever—it gives them room to grow, to learn, and to find what truly resonates.