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What Experts Say

Of course, most parents hope their child will choose to go to college. Thanks to the power of hindsight, adults know how many more options it opens up and how much difference it can make to a teen's future earning power and career choices.

However, it's also not the right path for every teen, nor is it something you can force your teen to do, says Debra Beck, a teen mentor and founder of Spirited Youth and author of "My Feet Aren't Ugly!: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out." "This is their journey, not yours, and forcing them to go to college usually backfires. They won't do well, won't get much out of it, and may blow through a lot of money doing it."...

Of course, most parents hope their child will choose to go to college. Thanks to the power of hindsight, adults know how many more options it opens up and how much difference it can make to a teen's future earning power and career choices.

However, it's also not the right path for every teen, nor is it something you can force your teen to do, says Debra Beck, a teen mentor and founder of Spirited Youth and author of "My Feet Aren't Ugly!: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out." "This is their journey, not yours, and forcing them to go to college usually backfires. They won't do well, won't get much out of it, and may blow through a lot of money doing it."

Instead, have an ongoing conversation with your teen about what types of jobs or careers he would like to have, and how he might meet those goals.

"I talked to my daughters about jobs and about what kind of income and lifestyle a particular job might provide," Beck says. "At one point, one of my daughters wanted to be a veterinarian and the other wanted to work at Wal-Mart, and we talked frankly about what kind of car they might drive, what kind of house they might live in, with those two careers."

Researching Options

If your son or daughter has a particular ambition, whether it's being a pilot, a dental hygienist, or a baker, use the Internet to research the field, including types of jobs available, what they pay, and what type of training is required.

There are many different types of programs available, from two-year college degrees to specialized technical training programs and on-the-job apprenticeships.

And don't panic; it's a misconception, experts say, that all good jobs require a college degree. Actually, according to Other Ways to Win, by Kenneth C. Gray & Edwin l. Herr, occupations that do not require a four-year college degree make up the largest and fastest growing segment of the emerging technical workforce.

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