Mike Smith:
Does your high schooler want to carry on the family business or use it to jumpstart other career options? Many teens can gain valuable experience working from home.

Maybe your teen wants to follow dad’s—or another relative’s—footsteps. He or she could learn marketing or innovative ways to improve the company. Or maybe experience in the family business will be a steppingstone to other work. Discuss early on how his or her plans fit in with the family’s goals for the business.

If your teen expresses interest in working with the family business, try an apprentice-type relationship. That hands-on experience will be useful helping your child make an informed decision about his or her goals. Homeschool graduate Peter Leedahl did just that.

At 14, Peter apprenticed full-time with his dad on the family farm. Dreaming of being a businessman one day, Peter added to his knowledge by reading books on economics and management and seeking the advice of people in the field. He also attended most of his dad’s business meetings concerning the farm, and spent many hours under his dad’s teaching.

Now 21, Peter oversees his own 530-acre farm in North Dakota and helps his dad manage the 2,200-acre family farm and cattle ranch. Peter advises teens to take a career assessment test. “Once you get an idea of what you might be good at, or might like doing, explore all the possible career fields, and get a first-hand experience in them,” Peter says.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at another homeschool graduate who chose an alternative to the traditional college route.

And until then, I’m Mike Smith.