Is Generation Z headed for disappointment?

It’s January. Application deadlines for university and college programs are fast approaching, and high school seniors across the country are weighing their options.

In every household we hear the same debate: how do we steer our kids??

In Oprah-esque fashion, do we advise, “Follow your passion and the money will come?” Is it always best to pursue our livelihood through our passions? Or does linking our livelihood to passion set our kids up for a lifetime of feeling unfulfilled?

Few people have the raw talent and ambition to be able to make a viable living in the field of their burning interest. The world needs accountants, plumbers, lab technicians, and denturists.

We need to help our kids make choices they can live with; to understand that satisfaction in our working lives does not need to be a direct result of feeling passionate about the work itself. Satisfaction can come from good relationships with our co-workers, feeling valued, feeling safe, and experiencing a sense of accomplishment in a job well done.

It may be an old fashioned mindset, but financial security is precisely the tool that allows us to pursue the interests that ignite our fire.

So…encourage I plan to encourage my children to consider the job market and social trends when making their decisions. Geriatrics, welding and waste management may not sound sexy…..but they’re the fields that will provide today’s youth with a livelihood and the freedom to pursue their dreams—outside of work.

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Milena Romalis

Milena Romalis, B.A., B.Ed. OCT Milena is a certified teacher and vocational rehabilitation professional with a combined 20 years of experience teaching, counselling and assessing a wide range of clients from early childhood to retirement. In her decade as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board, Milena's work emphasized an individualized, experiential approach, using the students’ experiences and strengths as a springboard for learning. As a counsellor and assessor with a specialized, Toronto area firm, Milena assists both child and adult clients living with physical, emotional, social and developmental disabilities to navigate educational, training, and employment options. Her work involves assessing needs, formulating rehabilitation plans and providing comprehensive case management support during life transitions. Milena graduated from a specialized Bachelor of Education program (Diversity Initiative) with an emphasis on representing and integrating high needs students into curriculum development and delivery.

Latest posts by Milena Romalis (see all)

• Is Generation Z headed for disappointment? - January 18, 2016
• Don’t Settle for the Minimum! - October 23, 2015