“Do you want your kids to follow your career path?” I ask.
“You mean doing a job I hate just for the money? No way.” Common career counseling client response.
“I always said I don’t want a job like my father had and now I’m wondering if my kids will say the same about me.” said Brett, a middle manager in a mid-sized corporation in New Haven County.
More than a few have wondered whether they were conditioned by example to follow their Dad’s practical path at the expense of passion. Even more interesting, an increasing number of clients have said that their parents told them not to follow their example of creating an unhappy career.
Brett realized this as we were speaking. “I tell my kids that they should find a career they love. My Dad said something similar to me but I guess I didn’t listen.”
“You watched.” I responded.
Brett nodded and gave a knowing look.