I don't know how to begin talking to my kid about the future. What do you recommend?

Even if it feels like you want something that your kid does not, the fact is that most young people are just as scared of having a conversation about their future as their parents. Understandably, they are often afraid of the enormity of the topic and prefer to believe that something will work itself out. As a student once explained to me, "I kept hoping the answers would fall out of the sky, but they never did!"

Typically, kids who are "hoping the answers will fall from the sky" use one or more of these coping mechanisms: 1. Refuse to have the conversation altogether. 2. Assure you there is nothing to worry about because they know exactly what they are going to study and "be." 3. Assert that they don't care either way and just want to make money.

Knowing that each of these scenarios is a problem, I put together a deck of cards with seven questions that can serve as conversation starters with your child. It is available using the link below. (I am also offering free talks at schools about this theme. If your child's school might be interested, please send me a note.)

Alternatively, feel free to schedule a free Exploration Chat for us to talk about your situation in more detail.

I worry that my own career path did not set a good example for my kid. How do I change their experience?

Many of us did not receive proper guidance when we were entering adulthood. As a result, our path may not have been the most inspirational for our own children. It is likely, however, that you did the best you could with what you had and, in that sense, you are most definitly a role model!

Fortunately, everything that doesn't work well the first time is a lesson. If your child is willing to listen to your experience, they may learn something that can help them in their own journey. Some kids will not listen, of course, and will have to make their own mistakes.

Whatever the case, our power to shape our kids' experience is limited. What is in our power is to create the conditions for our kids to make informed choices.

Circles was created to help families provide these conditions for their kids. If you would like to talk about your particular concerns and how you can best support your child, send me a note or schedule a free Exploration Chat. Or, you can simply go ahead and sign up to attend an Introduction Circle with your kid!

My kid knows what they want to study and where. They just need help to write application documents. Do you do that?

Absolutely! I have worked with students preparing their college essay/carta de motivacion, supplemental essays, and resumes for many years. These students have been very successful securing acceptances at their preferred universities, showing that this support can be highly effective.

To work on creating application documents with support, your kid has two options. One is to sign up for a Workshop Circle dedicated to writing the college essay (or carta de motivacion), the resume, and supplemental essays--all important requirements for many universities around the world. (If this workshop is not being offered at the moment, just send me a note and I will plan to offer it again asap, and in your language of preference.)

The other option is to sign up for a Subscription package in which we work on developing these documents in one-on-one sessions over a month or more. To talk about Subscriptions or the other options in more detail, please schedule a free Exploration Chat.

My kid started university already but is very unhappy and this breaks my heart. Is there anything I can do?

Yes, for sure! The first thing to know is that no path is a mistake, not even those that make us unhappy! These are opportunities to learn about the world and about ourselves and in the process fine-tune our understanding of what we are meant to do!

To reconsider and redesign one's career paths, I recommend two options. The first is to sign up for one or two Workshop Circles dedicated to career design. One is focused on Self-Knowledge and the other on Researching the Labor Market. (If these workshops are not being offered at the moment, just send me a note and I will plan to offer them again asap and in your language of preference.)

The other option is to sign up for a Subscription package in which we will work on designing a new career path in one-on-one sessions. Feel free to schedule an Exploration Chat to discuss options.

My kid wants to study abroad, but I don't see how our family could ever afford it. At the same time, if there is financial aid available somewhere, I don't want my kid to miss the opportunity just because I didn't know about them. What can I do?

The situation you describe is very common. Most people see the price tag on international universities and give up because they believe that what is listed is the final cost for students who go there. But this is not true. Many universities in different countries want to attract international students. You also want to understand the difference between private and public universities when it comes to pricing.

As long as your child is an excellent student and your family is open to exploring non-traditional paths (for example, Harvard is unlikely to offer a scholarship), your family has options.

Please send me a note so we can talk about what options your family might have.