Dreaming Big and Embracing Change with Our Friends at TIME for Kids

Both Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and TIME for Kids believe that every child deserves the opportunity to dream big and work hard to become whatever they want in life, and that no goal is out of reach! Whether it is books, resources, or career exploration tools, both organizations are committed to supporting children as they reach for the stars. RIF is excited to share a guest blog from our partners at TIME for Kids highlighting their career exploration platform, Your Hot Job. Read on to learn how children are being empowered to dream big, and embrace change, while beginning to think about future career paths. Looking for additional resources? Be sure to explore RIF’s Your Hot Job Collection, offering books that will inspire kids to pay attention to their strengths and interests as they consider which path is right for them. 

When we set out to develop a career-education site for kids, one of our goals was to showcase a diverse range of jobs. I had the pleasure of editing articles about careers in industries as varied as agriculture, healthcare, and hospitality. 

I knew that, through this work, I would come to understand what made each career unique. But I didn’t know I’d also find a common thread—a factor that unites many professionals in careers that bring them ongoing satisfaction. 

That uniting factor: embracing change. 

Take the people featured in our latest issue, for example: 

● After 11 years in an office, Mia Tramz traded her desk job for “outside work” on an organic farm in upstate New York. “I always had a deep love of being outside,” she says. “So I wondered, ‘Could I be paid to be outside all day?’” As a new farmer, Tramz lets her curiosity drive her: “There are endless things to learn,” she says. 

● Paramedic Daniel Matthews never knows what kind of situation he’ll be facing next. “It can be difficult,” he says, “sitting in a chair one minute, and the next, you’ll be in a ditch on the side of a highway doing CPR.” But Matthews refuses to let change rattle him, especially when lives are on the line: “Not everybody has a personality that can remain calm for a job like this.” 

● Jenessa Andrea loves her job as an international flight attendant. She finds satisfaction in serving customers as they make their way through the sky: “It feels like it’s a party every day that I’m hosting,” she says. But when the opportunity to take flying lessons came her way, she jumped at the chance. Will she opt to become a pilot one day? Many flight attendants do, she says: “It happens to a lot of us!” 

We’ve made this special issue of TIME for Kids—and the related teaching resources—available for free to all. You can find them here. I hope you’ll share the issue with the young students in your life who are just taking the first step on their career journeys. As they look ahead to the limitless options for their future, I hope you’ll advise them to embrace change—whether that’s changing their minds (it’s always allowed!), changing their skills (help them power up), or changing the world. We know they can do it.

Allison Singer has been developing children’s books, magazines, and media for more than a decade. As executive editor of TIME for Kids, she helped lead the creation of Your Hot Job, a free career-exploration website for kids ages 8-14. Learn more about the mission of TIME for Kids here.