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Osnaživanje, stil i inspiracija spajaju se u svakom izdanju našeg magazina.
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January 15, 2026
Women face numerous obstacles, prejudices, and limiting circumstances throughout their professional lives—we know this all too well. Things are no different at the age of fifteen, when a girl is faced with her first major decision: which secondary school to choose. As the school year progresses, pressure from the environment grows, and with it, her anxiety. She is expected to know exactly what she loves, what career she will pursue, and to envision the next forty-five years of her professional life. She is advised to choose a “good” job for a woman, an easy one; reminded that she should become a mother, be financially independent, be strong, and devote herself to her career. How can you help her navigate all of this?
Psychologists agree that the age of fifteen is not the time to make a final career decision. However, contrary to common parental belief, it is not too early to choose an educational direction that may later shape a career. At this age, personality is still developing, interests often change, and the brain is not yet fully mature. Still, girls have gained enough maturity—through schooling and life experience—to decide which direction they would like to begin exploring professionally.
If you are the parent of a girl about to enter secondary school, it is important to remember that this decision matters, but it is not final. Instead of focusing on the end point of her professional development, help her choose a direction that allows her to acquire skills, develop curiosity, and keep as many doors open as possible. Secondary school is not the end of her professional journey—it is the beginning. That means there is plenty of room for mistakes, course corrections, and second thoughts.
Most importantly: do not make the decision for her—make it with her. Your role is to guide, not decide. One of the most helpful shifts you can encourage is moving away from the question of what she likes and toward discovering how she functions. The right questions for a future high school student are:
Do you prefer working with others or independently?
Do you thrive in strict structures or in flexible, improvised environments?
Do you enjoy the process more, or the achievement of results?
Do you like to think, create, analyze, fix things, organize?
This approach helps her understand what kind of work suits her personality at an early age—an advantage she will carry with her into the professional world.
To achieve this, parents often need to do the hardest thing of all: stop focusing on grades. This can feel impossible, especially since academic performance determines placement on admission lists. Still, when choosing a secondary school, try to put grades in the background. Why? Because grades often reflect teachers, systems, or momentary motivation—and say very little about long-term potential. Instead, focus on the areas where she naturally invests effort, what doesn’t exhaust her even when it becomes challenging, and which topics she constantly asks about or explores on her own. Only after identifying her areas of interest should you consult admission guides to see which programs are realistically available based on grades.
A reminder worth repeating: secondary school is the beginning. She needs to know that. Choosing a school is only one step in her career path, and she has the right to change it—without that making her a failure. Fear of making the wrong decision often paralyzes more than lack of knowledge.
Professional orientation for girls is still, whether we like it or not, often “pink.” Consciously or unconsciously, girls are pushed toward stereotypically feminine professions. How can this be avoided?
Instead of telling her she can be anything, show her real women who have broken stereotypes. Children lack the experience needed to understand what “anything” truly means. Introduce her to female engineers, programmers, scientists, drivers, technicians, entrepreneurs. Not extraordinary, unreachable role models—but ordinary women from everyday life with whom she can easily identify.
Help her separate professional interests from identity. Liking makeup, fashion, or expressing empathy toward people and animals does not mean she is destined for the humanities, nor that technology is out of reach. Many professions rely on hybrid skills, combining design and technology, medicine and engineering, biology and data analysis.
Allow her to experiment. Short courses, summer schools, workshops, and open days at schools or companies can help her discover what truly interests her. Instead of handing her brochures, create opportunities for real conversations with women who are professionally fulfilled—especially in fields she is already curious about. Career aptitude tests can also be useful, as long as she understands they are not verdicts, but tools for guidance.
In the period leading up to secondary school enrollment, girls often limit themselves before anyone else does. Statements like “this isn’t for me” or “others are better” are usually expressions of anxiety, not reality. Decisions are also strongly influenced by peers, school culture, and expectations. Choosing a “safe” path or avoiding environments where she might stand out is a normal developmental response—but it is worth asking what she would choose if that pressure didn’t exist.
The same applies to giving up at the first obstacle. Learning to distinguish between something being difficult because it is new and something truly not being a good fit is an essential life skill. It helps to reinforce the message that she doesn’t have to be brave right away—being curious is enough. Conversations about what everyday work actually looks like, rather than just job titles, as well as exposure to adults who have changed directions along the way, can further ease the pressure. Ultimately, a parent’s role is not to lead, but to hold a calm space where change is allowed—and the decision is truly hers.
Photo: Cottonbro / dupephotos.com
