It wasn’t exactly the sort of advice he was looking for, but in a way, it did help him make his decision. It led to a discussion of what opportunities each career choice represented. In the end he chose to attend a college of aviation and to use his love of hunting and handling firearms purely for pleasurable pursuits.

My youngest son, meanwhile, wants his passion for music and guitar performance to be the focus of his career choice. He will graduate soon, and we don’t yet know where his talent will lead precisely, but we are prayerfully waiting on God to show both him and us, trusting that as we walk the shadowy paths of indecision, He will light a candle to reveal the walkway for our son.

To help our son set his goals and make these heavy decisions, we have outlined as many options as we could conceive. Some of these include college (two-year, four-year, tech, or individualized school), working full-time and waiting, continued private lessons and self-study, apprenticeship through a local music studio, or pursuing another interest completely. During this time, we start the gradual shift from decision-making parents to confidantes, guidance counselors, and friends. We attempt to not overwhelm our son with our will, but to help him see his way to finding God’s. That’s a fragile process. We feel the need to treat it with care.

As your young adult establishes goals, it becomes necessary to align his academic pursuits with those goals. If college seems to be the best path, then you will likely spend a good deal of time studying for the ACTs or SATs during those final high school years. You will also want to spend time researching scholarship opportunities or visiting college campuses or virtual schools that interest you. You may investigate training through the military as another option. If your son or daughter intends to start his or her own business, then classes in business and accounting or an apprenticeship with a business owner might be in order. During our son’s senior high year, when he was trying to make that decision about attending an avionics school, we enrolled him in a basic electronics course to see whether his interest and aptitude would lead him toward such further pursuits.

If God is leading your student away from college and toward the work force upon graduation, then it would be wise to teach him or her how to write a glowing resume and to spend additional time practicing interviewing and communication skills. Help your children research types of work that interest them and find out what would be required to apply. Some jobs require testing almost as vigorous as taking a college entrance exam.

If your student simply cannot make a decision about those days after graduation, prayerfully consider offering the option of travel. A missions trip or a long stay with friends or family in another state or country might open up doors of opportunity and passion neither your children nor you have ever considered. Perhaps, as a family, you could go away to a quiet place for a weekend, just for the purpose of praying over the plan God has for your son or daughter.