Parenting 101: Guiding Gen Z Kids for the Future
‘IDON’T know if you agree with me but running a business is easy, managing a career profession is peanuts, as compared to raising a teenager,’ top business and inspirational speaker Mr. Francis Kong said as he shared his knowledge and expertise as to how parents can have a better understanding of the generation their children belong to including the effective ways of guiding them for their future.
Prior COVID-19, Gen Z’s personalities are known to be a Google reflex generation. They are also highly inquisitive and highly philosophical. Surprisingly, they even tend to look down on their predecessors—the millennial generation.
At present, Gen Z kids feel delayed due to the pandemic which contributes to their level of anxiety. They tend to feel postponed, pushed aside, penalized, and panicked. Therefore, they need to do quick adjustments.
Microsoft research indicates that 1/3 of Gen Z students are uncertain about the types of career they want to pursue and around 1/2 expect to do a job that doesn’t even exist yet. We also need to recognize the bigger role technology plays across all industries today.
In a study of Linkedin, the top five technical skills valued really reflect the need for digital skills—things connected to cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and improving digital experience. Some of the top five skills newly graduates are learning are data visualisation, data modelling, python, web analytics, and database management. But more than these, soft skills also prove invaluable contributions.
So how do parents now deal with pandemic parenting and how can they guide their children in choosing the right career for their future?
At present, children tend to be very vulnerable. Mr. Kong recommends that parents need to be sensitive to the feelings of their children. They must show compassion, empathy, and understanding.
In the webinar hosted by Enderun Colleges on January 9, Mr. Kong elaborated by explaining, “Parenting is a privilege not a birthright.” Parents have to acquire and update their parenting skills because the skills you have before might no longer be effective at present. He continued, “Cultivate the right worldview. All of those things needed for [your children] to succeed in life depends on your world. Your worldview forms your belief system. Your belief system shapes your perspective. Your perspective determines your behaviour. And your behaviour leads to your outcome.” It only goes to show that children merely reflect the attitude of their parents.