Parents: Change Your Thinking! He Needs You to Understand What I Will Share With You In This Blog!

Yesterday, I was talking with a parent who was incredibly frustrated that her child, who is now a 23-year-old adult, “is living at home and has no idea what to do with his life.” He graduated college last year and can’t find a job. So he is at home hanging out, waiting and hoping that something falls in his lap. He looks in all the obvious places like Craig’s List and Monster, but with no success.

Needless to say, his mother is incredibly disappointed. She says she doesn’t understand why he can’t find ‘something.’ She says she just wants him to grow up and get a job. She doesn’t want him to become one of the statistics that end up living at home for an unlimited amount of time. She is scared for him and for herself. And she should be. Just take a look at these facts:

According to Monster's 2010 Annual Entry-Level Job Outlook, about 52 percent of recent grads live with their parents, up from 40 percent reported in the 2009 survey. New York Life calls them “Boomerang Kids” and they cite stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics from October 2009—15.6% of 20-to-24-year-olds were unemployed vs. 8.7% for people over 25.3


Well, mom (and dad) that is pretty frightening, so here is what you need to know.

The uncertain economy notwithstanding, the very likely reason your child/graduate/young adult does not have a ‘job’ and is just hanging out, is that he never determined what he would love to do for a career. Yes, there is the obvious issue of the economy and how ridiculous the stats are on kids not getting their first opportunity to enter the work force, as mentioned above.

Yet, the other issue is even greater, especially for those who don’t know the best career path suited for them.

Your child needs to figure this out. It is critical. It will change everything. If he knows exactly what he would love to do and why, he can pursue his passion with a completely different sense of focus, vigor, and clarity that employers absolutely love. It is these qualities that will transform the career-seeking process in a huge way. Every employer wants to hire an individual who is passionate and clear about what they want to do. These types of individuals make the biggest difference for employers. They create an impact by giving110%, not by just working hard, but also by loving what they do.

So mom, dad, here are a few words of advice. Get your child the help he or she needs to figure it out. There is a process. Hire a coach if you can. Do some research. Check out our website if you like. Just do it! It is important, for you and for them.