Community Members

Many things influence a person’s career, including people, the person’s immediate. environment and wider society.

Young people considering their career path don’t act alone. People in their community can strongly influence the way they think about themselves and the world, and the decisions they make about their future.

Youth workers and social workers, coaches, community leaders, spiritual leaders and friends can all help significantly.

As a community member, don’t underestimate the influence you have on others. However you live, you influence the choices young people make about the way they want to live, the work they want to do, the roles they take up in life and their self-esteem.

You can help young people:

develop skills
think well of themselves
articulate their dreams and aspirations.

When you talk with young people, encourage them to:

dream about the future, and think about practical ways to make those dreams a reality
plan, and take positive steps to carry out their plans
be on the lookout for unexpected career opportunities and willing to pursue them
obtain advice from, for example, a Career Information Centre or a career advisor at school
visit workplaces to see how they operate
encourage each other
identify role models they admire
talk to their parents or caregivers about their future
research careers on this and other websites.

You can help in less direct ways by:

having career material in your environment, such as posters or printed information
encouraging parents and employers involved in your group to offer worksite visits to young people you’re helping
referring parents and caregivers to myfuture.edu.au
understanding the career needs of young people by finding out more about careers and career development.

Tip!

Young people need to be helped to think laterally. They may not realise, for example, that not all people interested in sport end up becoming professional athletes. If you’re involved in coaching or playing sports with young people, you can help them understand how they can use their sporting skills in other areas of life, including career planning, study and employment (see Sport as part of your career).