Is TikTok a Viable Career Option for Your Teen?

In the coming months, recent high school graduates will be handling the stress of considering “what’s next?” Chances are they know what subjects they are good at and what they enjoy. However, grads are unlikely to be aware of the full spectrum of careers in available their fields of interest, how much schooling is required for those jobs, and the implications of their potential future salaries on a single-person or household budget. ?

Think back to when you were leaving high school. Did the education track you chose align with what you do for a living now, meet your expectations? Would you change any of the decisions you made back then? How often did you change direction over the course of time? It’s vital that those of us with the relevant life experiences act now to give teens everywhere the benefit of our knowledge, insight, and well…missteps, too.

Times have surely changed over the years, too. During recent JA Finance Park? Virtual Entry Simulation and JA Finance Park? Virtual Advanced Simulation programs, during which teens are taught about finance and budgeting, some of the questions kids asked may surprise you. Students asked, “Can gaming and making TikTok videos viable career options? How much schooling does it take to become a (fill in the blank profession)? And, can my hobby be my job?” To me, these questions tell the story of an optimistic, inquisitive cohort of teens who are giving thought to finding careers they enjoy. That’s job #1. Job #2 is teaching them the more challenging, longer-term points of investing in their futures.

This is where programs like JA Finance Park?, made possible by funding from Discover, come into play. The in-person and online curricula succeed in helping teens think differently about career options open to them, as well as learn to how-to develop and understand budgets. Kids across the country are exploring how to make intelligent lifelong financial decisions related to jobs, income, savings, and credit. After participating in the program, 93% of teens reported being better able to prepare and understand budgets, 85% believe the simulation prepared them for future budgeting, 80% felt better at how to develop a budget, and 82% think differently about career options open to them.

During JA Finance Park? Virtual Entry (middle school) and Advanced (high school) Simulations, teens develop and commit to a family budget based on a hypothetical family situation, job and salary, and debt level. They are even taught to recognize the impact of credit history on budget planning and purchasing options given to them.

As recent events and research have shown us, students do not yet have the effects of inflation, job security, and college tuition on their minds. Yet, in just a few short years, graduates will be finding jobs and out in the real world and experiencing the same challenges you and I are facing today. Let’s empower them now, at least a little bit, with a foundation for solid decision-making capabilities.

?

?

?