The classic What Color is Your Parachute? has been adapted just for teens in What Color is Your Parachute? for teens by Carol Christen. As the parent of a soon-to-be high school senior, this book intrigued me right away, and I am happy to recommend it for any student who is trying to figure out what to do with his life. This book is absolutely packed with information, with exercises to help teens discover their talents and skills, potential college major, and future career.
You begin to identify your skills by looking at your life. Think about projects you have completed, recent problems that you solved, your hobbies, and the activities you do for fun. These can be experiences from your school, volunteer work, paid work, or free time. Select a project or activity you’ve enjoyed that had an outcome—writing a paper, helping to organize an event, or learning something new, such as a sport or hobby (p. 11).
What Color is Your Parachute? for teens is divided into incremental sections that help teens work through discovering their dream job, mapping out their educational choices, and finally, ultimately landing their job and creating an ideal life. This book is such a valuable tool and is clearly organized so that it is easy to use. Advice on making the most of the high school years, discovering your ideal work environment, interviewing, using social media productively, landing internships, and more is included. As a homeschool family, we find this book to be a useful “guidance counselor.”
I especially like how the author stresses responsibility and planning, coaching readers on developing a strong work ethic, which I think is sadly lacking in many people today. She also emphasizes the importance of happiness in what you do, while maintaining a sense of reality. Teens learn that they must make wise decisions, plan accordingly, and work hard to achieve the life they want. What Color is Your Parachute? for teens is an essential for any teen and a valuable part of our high school arsenal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CAROL CHRISTEN is a career strategist who has provided life/work planning and job-search skill training to people since 1979. Specializing in working with teenagers, Carol lives along California’s Central Coast.
The publisher provided a review copy of What Color is Your Parachute for teens.