Kids

7 Career Pointers for Kids From Bianca Gonzalez

by Kevyn Gohu
August 16, 2021

Especially when your kids are not sure about their careers in this pandemic, Bianca Gonzalez offers sound advice and questions you can ask them.

For our kids who are freshly graduating out of college, they’re probably wondering what kind of thing they can do during this pandemic. All their lives, they didn’t expect a pandemic to stand in the way of their accomplishing or chasing after their dream career. As our kids try to cope with the other things in the pandemic, we can take a few pointers from Bianca Gonzalez on her vlog: Paano Ba Malalaman Ang Career Path Ko Sa Gitna ng Pandemya? to at least lighten the load as they try to take back their control.

You can watch the full video above or through this link but if you’re having trouble with the internet, here are some of her more important points that we summarized just for you:

1. Know what your core values are.

Photo courtesy: @iamsuperbianca via instagram

Gone are the days when people just go to companies to work and make extra moolah. Now, professionals have to be more aware of how companies are especially if they ask you to do work that may compromise on your values. “This is something you’ll really have to take time to do,” says Bianca in her video. These values can vary per person and it’s good to think this through because it’ll really shape what companies you’re willing to work with and not. To some, it may look like we’re being choosy. “But it’s not about being choosy,” affirms Bianca. “It’s about staying true to your core.”

2. Play with your strengths.

“I knew that singing, dancing, and acting wasn’t for me. But hosting was and I really wanted to hone my craft,” admits Bianca in her vlog. “The one thing I liked about hosting was that I wasn’t the main event. I was a shy person but I liked telling stories so hosting really fit the bill.”

We often approach our kids with the question, “What do you love doing so much that you’ll stay late nights up for it?” But sometimes, pursuing what we love may not be the best. At times, we’ll lose our love for it and ask if we were doing for the money or not. But that’s why we ask our kids what they believe their strengths are. Even if it’s not math or science subjects, knowing that you support what they’re good at will help them realize what their strengths are.

3. Know what you like and don’t like.

We’re not talking about just about chores or not liking what we do but, we’re talking about certain beliefs. “It falls back to what your core is about,” Bianca explains. “If you’re big on sustainability, you won’t join a company that doesn’t respect the environment.” Although sometimes our kids may deviate from what careers we want for them (i.e. being a doctor, banker, engineer, etc.), we have to remember that they are their own person. Ask them what they’re okay with and you might find yourself enlightened too from what they tell you.

4. Being intentional about choosing your opportunities.

“It’s why I took some jobs even if they didn’t pay,” Bianca admits. “I wanted to grow.”

Our kids are geared towards a new culture of independence especially with the influence of Western media which can sometimes cause us to butt heads with them. Especially during the pandemic, job opportunities are scarce and a lot of times the pay is not to our expectations. Does this mean they should just accept any job? We can guide our kids by finding jobs that are related to their field so they can expand their repertoire and head to their desired careers.

5. Learning all you can.

Whenever we’re helping our kids start their careers, we always try to make it specific enough to fit their skill set. But nowadays, companies believe in a T-shaped development where there are rotations in departments. So even if they don’t end up in their dream job, they can still learn something that will help them get there. “Even though you want to learn something that’s beyond your course, it’s not a loss,” advises Bianca. “Anything you pick up from your job or classes or even from things you don’t like, there will always be something there that’s useful.”

6. Honor your journey and your dreams.

When our kids choose their careers, they often have a linear path with little room to flex. But since the pandemic, they had been forced to do a lot of flexing which can make things feel toxic for them and unable to cope. “Sometimes, we just have to trust the process.” With the world becoming more digital as we grow and evolve, your kids’ journey to a financially successful future will be a lot different from yours. While it may be daunting, it’s a journey you both can take on together.

7. Being kind to others

A lot of times, we believe that skills are the only thing a company looks at. But that’s not the case anymore. “I learned this the hard way,” Bianca admits. “There was a time I became a bit of a diva and my head got big. I lost some opportunities. Companies will not hesitate to replace you even if you’re more skilled if they know you’re someone you can’t work with.” Personality, values, and attitude reign supreme in the workplace now especially when companies are looking to improve the mental health of their employees during this pandemic.

Finding their careers in this pandemic can be confusing for kids.

Especially for your newly graduated kids, this moment of their lives can be truly confusing. Those who took courses for more process-based work like banking, engineering, and even architecture can find themselves at a loss on what to do. We may also have fear for our kids who are newly entering medical school with the new Delta Variant on the rampage. But the best thing we can do to help our kids find their careers is to be there for them especially when they find themselves on the verge of burnout.