Is My Teen Doing Enough Outside the Classroom? A Quebec Parent’s Guide to Extracurricular Activities Before CEGEP
One of the things I wish someone had told me when my own kids were in high school is this:
Your teenager does not need to do everything.
I remember looking around and wondering if my kids were doing enough. Should they volunteer? Get a part-time job? Join a club? Play another sport? Learn another language?
Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be another teenager with a more impressive list of activities. Looking back now as both a parent and someone who spent nearly 30 years hiring, mentoring and leading people, I realize I was asking the wrong question.
The better question wasn’t: “Is my teen doing enough?”
It was: “Is my teen growing?”
This one shift changed how I think about extracurricular activities, first jobs and preparing for CEGEP, university and future careers.
Do Extracurricular Activities Matter for CEGEP and Future Jobs?
The honest answer? Yes.
But probably not for the reason most parents think.
Many parents worry that universities and future employers are counting the number of clubs, volunteer hours or leadership positions their teen has collected.
After nearly 30 years of interviewing and hiring people, I learned that what stood out wasn’t how many activities someone listed on their résumé. It was what those experiences taught them.
Did they learn how to solve problems? Work with different personalities? Take initiative? Handle conflict? Accept feedback? Become more responsible?
Those are the qualities that stay with someone long after high school.
A Part-Time Job Counts More Than You Think
This is something I think parents often underestimate.
A first job may not look impressive compared to a long list of extracurricular activities, but it teaches lessons that are difficult to learn anywhere else.
These skills are not taught in a classroom:
- Showing up on time
- Managing priorities
- Working with people of different ages and cultures
- Handling difficult customers
- Taking responsibility when things don’t go as planned
- Learning that other people are depending on you
Whether your teen works at a summer camp, grocery store, restaurant or retail shop, they’re developing the kinds of workplace skills that future employers notice immediately.
Before CEGEP, Focus on Exploration
For Quebec families, it’s easy to feel like everything is leading up to one decision: choosing a CEGEP program.
It is an important decision, but it’s not the only one that matters.
The students who seem most confident aren’t always the ones who have their future mapped out. They’re often the ones who have simply explored more.
Maybe they’ve had a part-time job. Maybe they’ve volunteered. Maybe they’ve coached or tutored younger kids, joined a school club or tried something completely outside their comfort zone.
Every experience gives your teen another opportunity to discover who they are.
Sometimes they discover what they enjoy.
Sometimes they discover what they don’t.
Both are valuable.
Before students can make good career decisions, they need opportunities to discover who they are.
What Nearly 30 Years of Hiring Taught Me
One conversation has stayed with me for years.
I interviewed a young candidate whose résumé wasn’t filled with leadership positions or prestigious internships. Instead, he had worked at a grocery store throughout CEGEP.
When I asked him about his experience, he didn’t tell me he stocked shelves. He told me how he calmed frustrated customers who couldn’t find what they were looking for, trained new employees and learned how to stay composed when the store was busy.
This conversation told me far more about the candidate than a long list of extracurricular activities ever could. As employers, we’re not just listening for accomplishments. We’re listening for self-awareness, responsibility and growth.
What I’d Do If My Teen Were in Grade 11 Today
I wouldn’t rush to fill every evening with another activity. Instead, I’d help my teen choose one meaningful opportunity to explore. Maybe that’s a first part-time job. Maybe it’s volunteering for a cause they genuinely care about. Maybe it’s attending a CEGEP open house or speaking with someone working in a career they’re curious about.
Then I’d ask better questions.
What did you enjoy?
What challenged you?
What surprised you?
What did you learn about yourself?
Experiences become valuable when we take the time to reflect on them.
From One Parent to Another…
I know how easy it is to wonder whether we’re doing enough. I’ve been there. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
Our job isn’t to create the busiest teenager.
It’s to help raise a young adult who knows themselves a little better after every experience they have.
I’ll leave you with one question until next time…
Is your teen building an impressive résumé… or becoming an impressive person?