Harley Family Career Education Project

Often I hear folks ask young people about what they want to "be" when they "grow up."  This is a super hard question for a kid who's in the teen years and really doesn't even know what he wants to eat for dinner (okay, who am I kidding, he wants pizza).  We've been having lots of conversations of possible careers with our kids and they are starting to put some thoughts together.  We've been exploring hard questions like:  What is more important-money or happiness?  What kind of lifestyle do you see yourself living and what are the salary requirements for that lifestyle?  Do you think it's important to do something that makes a difference in the world, or do you just want to make a paycheck?  How important is it to choose a career that you enjoy?  How much effort(education) will it take to achieve the career path that you're interested in?

 All of these questions seem like overkill for a 12 and 14 year old, but let's be honest....in the next couple of years, our oldest will be starting coursework that will eventually lead to his career.  If he wants to go into sports medicine(his current interest), then I'd say that we need to start thinking about what that entails, like NOW!  I often hear, "The sky is the limit," when talking to kids about what they want to do when they get older, but truth is, that may not be the whole truth after-all.  They sky is the limit, but it may take some planning and preparation to soar!  

So, as we're grappling with these tough questions, Ken and I had a thought.  What if we could start a career education project that allowed our kiddos to explore LOTS of different careers?  And so it began:  The Harley Family Career Education Project.

By the time they leave for college, it's our vision that they have a binder FULL of career reports to look through as they decide on coursework. We'd like to introduce opportunities for them to see the multitude of careers that are available, to explore what it takes to get "into" that career, and to talk about the benefits and trade-offs of those careers.  As they move through the project, we will be looking for opportunities for them to meet a multitude of people in various jobs.  We hope to have the chance to have some site visits, or shadowing opportunities.

And when it's all said and done, if nothing else, they will understand some of the challenges that some careers pose, and will be able to make a better decision about what they want to do or even more importantly, what they DO NOT want to do for the bulk of their working life.  We want the good, the bad and the ugly.

So, to our friends and family, expect a phone call from one of the Harley kids! We hope you'll join us in this project!  Each week the kids will be reaching out to a real live person(or people) to learn more about what they do. We're hoping that there will be opportunities to have phone interviews, meet up in person, grab a quick lunch, and more...let's make this FUN!

Here are a few things that they will be asking:
What tasks does your job entail?
What training/education is required for your job?
Favorite/Least favorite things about your job?
Salary Range (no, you don't have to give them YOUR salary...just an average for this particular career)
If you could do it again, would you choose the same job?  Why?




A big thanks in advance for those of you that will open up a few minutes of your time to share with us.  Together, we're training up the next generation and making a difference in the future of our kids!

With love,