Dreaming Forward — Exploring Career Vision And Life Goals With Your Student
Welcome to September — and to one of the most exciting conversations we can have with our young people: what do you want your future to look like? Not in a pressured way, but in a genuinely curious, expansive, possibility-focused way.
This month we are talking about career vision — and we want to start it much earlier than most people think to. Career planning for neurodiverse young people is not something that begins in Year 11. It begins now, with the questions we ask and the experiences we offer.
Ask what problems do you love solving instead of what do you want to be
Replace what do you want to be when you grow up with what problems do you love solving — it opens up bigger, more honest conversations about future pathways and genuine interests.
The traditional career question invites students to name a job title — and for neurodiverse young people who may not see themselves in conventional roles, it can feel limiting or even distressing. The problems question invites them to think about their curiosity and what genuinely engages them.
A young person who loves organising things might become a project manager or systems designer. A young person who loves understanding how people feel might become a counsellor or writer. The connection between passion and career rarely follows a straight line — but it always starts with the question.
V — Vision Forward: Seeing Bright Futures For Students
The V in T.H.R.I.V.E. stands for Vision Forward — and it is about helping families look beyond the challenges of today toward the possibilities of tomorrow. This is the most hope-filled stage of the pathway.
Visioning is not wishful thinking. It is a deliberate, grounded practice of identifying what your child is moving toward. Start with these questions:
- What is my student genuinely passionate about — not what they are good at, but what they love?
- What kind of environment do I imagine my learner thriving in as a young adult?
- What does success look like for my young person in five years — on their own terms?
“My teenager says they do not know what they want to do and they do not care. How do I engage them?”
I do not know and I do not care is almost never the whole truth. What it usually signals is that the framing of the question feels overwhelming, irrelevant, or pressure-loaded. Teenagers — especially neurodiverse ones — often disengage from futures conversations that feel like tests they might fail.
Try changing the context entirely. Have the conversation on a walk, not at a table. Ask about their favourite part of last week, not their five-year plan. Curiosity before direction, always.
Have a win to share? Email admin@targetingtomorrow.com.au — your story may help another family in the future.
MY FUTURE
A free Australian career exploration tool for young people, with interest assessments, industry information, and pathway planning resources. A great starting point for a low-pressure futures conversation.
Explore freely at myfuture.edu.au
Targeting Tomorrow is proud to bring you regular updates about information and resources on the Sunshine Coast for your young person at targetingtomorrow.com.au