To the parents and guardians of the ‘most exposed’ humans alive

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I trust this kind note finds you well.

I would like to formally introduce myself to you. My name is Akua Ampah and I support young people with their early career development. One of the things I enjoy doing with students and young graduates is helping them discover or reflect on their interests and passions.

Personally, I have seen many individuals, especially older people live unfulfilled lives because they never got the opportunity to discover and realize their potential or passion. As such I am very passionate about exposing young people early on in their lives to opportunities and resources that would help them make informed career decisions.

There is something I have noticed that I would like to bring to your attention. I wish you could spend time to understand the world our young ones live in; a world where there are lots of possibilities with emerging careers that are not necessarily the traditional white-collar jobs we once aspired for. For them, a career is anything that piques their interest and keeps them alive while pursuing it. It is not necessarily what society deems ‘fit’ for a university graduate. They just want to dream and find fulfillment in whatever they set out to do.

Realistic? I may not know. However, they need you to at least listen to them and be able to share their dreams and interests/passions with you.

As a Career Coach, I often hear young people tell me their parents want to chart a career path for them even though they have other interests. During one coaching exercise, I asked some students to share their career goals with me, and I got the memo that times have indeed changed. Gone are the days when you will hear professions such as doctor, teacher, and accountant, amongst other similar traditional professions.

We have young people who want to be full-time photographers, gamers, software developers, social media marketers, brand/social media influencers, musicians, writers, content creators, dog walkers, makeup artists, etc. These are careers that I would say were not really sought after some years ago or considered as full-time professions.

There are pretty interesting careers or opportunities out there I believe you should read about and understand as you work together with your young adult(s) to chart a fulfilling career path.

Can you please promise us you won’t force your child into a particular profession because it was your childhood dream or fantasy, or you will be respected if people knew your child was pursuing that profession?

Can you please promise us you will work together with your child to discover their purpose in life, passion and interests to make informed career decisions?

We agree that you are their parent(s) and must therefore protect them. However, when it comes to some decisions such as their careers can you please not impose anything on them, but rather collaborate with them while they discover their career path?

I am glad you are still here with me. I appreciate it.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any suggestions for me or want me to take a note for our young people. I would be pleased to do that for you as I have done on their behalf with this note.

Thank you!

Yours sincerely,

Akua Ampah

Founder & Lead Coach