Are your parents' expectations influencing your career choice?

It’s that question, that life-changing choice, that self-defining decision that we all come head to head with at some point or another … What am I going to do with my life? For some this may be simple, clear and easy, for others this may prove to be one of the biggest challenges they face throughout their lives. It’s no wonder many of us often look for guidance from those who know us best ... our parents. But how much influence do they really have on our ultimate decision?While we often turn to our friends for help on things such as relationships or other personal dilemmas, research suggests that when it comes to career-related decisions, parents tend to have the strongest impression on adolescents. In fact parents have more of an influence than any other group including friends, teachers or counselors regarding educational decisions and career pathways.So why is this a bad thing you may ask? Your parents know you better than anyone else so they know what you’ll be suited for and you know they only want the best for you.And yes, in several interviews parents claimed they had high hopes for their children and wanted them to do better than what they did. While guidance and support from ones parents can give students confidence in their career search and experimentation within different fields, for exceptionally indecisive or undifferentiated individuals, their parents influence may be hindering in the long term.Firstly, the pressure for career success or encouragement for only a selected range of jobs may deter adolescents/young adults from exploring other careers which may be more enjoyable or better suited for them. This may even lead to a decreased job-satisfaction later down the track. Furthermore, this dependence on ones parents to make such important decisions may decrease ones self-efficacy (the belief in ones ability to succeed at specific goals) within their career. It can also lead to an inability to make decisions for oneself later in life as this dependence may cause difficulties in separating the influence of others decisions from their own.So what should you do if you just have no idea which career path to take?Career counselors are an excellent resource as they represent a third party and will be able to objectively take into consideration your personal circumstances (both internal e.g. passions, personality or abilities and external e.g. financial circumstances, pressure from others or environmental constraints) throughout the decision making process. While most career counselors meet solely with the client it may actually be quite valuable to involve ones family within these sessions. While many parents want to help, many have also admitted they didn't feel as if they always had correct information or access to career related resources. By involving all parties and exploring a range of options young adults are likely to feel more at ease as well as more empowered throughout this process.On a final note it is important to remember that the ultimate decision regarding your career choices rests with you. While parents, career counselors and friends may offer advice or guidance; their words should be seen as just that - advice and guidance. By becoming self-aware of your passions and interests as well as your talents and abilities and developing the confidence to experiment within these, you may be surprised at how much clearer these decisions become.