Most parents believe they shouldn't have too much influence over their child's career choice, a new survey has revealed. Lisa Salmon asks the experts whether parents are right to leave their kids to decide their own career paths, and should they ever try to steer youngsters in a certain direction?

In the past, many parents steered their children towards careers as doctors or solicitors, believing they knew best what would bring their offspring happiness and wealth.

But attitudes have changed, and it seems modern parents no longer see it as their role to push their kids down a certain career path. In fact, a recent poll of parents of under-18s found that 59 per cent believed they shouldn't have too much influence over their child's job choices, despite almost three quarters (72 per cent) of them saying they have the greatest influence on their child's views.

The strength of that influence is a fact not lost on careers advisors, who welcome parents' support as their children make one of the most important decisions of their lives.

Jerry Young, operations manager for iGen, a division of Leeds Careers, says parents often attend when young people have careers interviews, and although there are occasions when it's just the parent who does the talking, generally it's a good thing.

"Parents are the greatest influence on children's choices, and their involvement is helpful," he says.

"After careers interviews, parents and children go away and discuss it, and parents help the child think about the qualities they need to consider when making a career decision."

However, one of the problems with parents getting involved is that they can apply old rules with regards to issues such as pay, qualifications needed and even what certain jobs entail these days.

"Things just aren't the same," Young says. "There are jobs around now that weren't even invented 20 years ago."

For that reason, he says, parents should know their facts, and not push but support their children as they make career choices.

"It's very important that parents are well informed when they're supporting young people as they make a career choice. They can support them in lots of different ways, like by challenging them - although everyone does need to be realistic."

And he stresses: "Some parents have a fixed idea of what they want for their child, but the best advice is for them to help their child keep their options open, and be realistic - they can't be a deep sea diver if they don't want to leave Halifax.

"But in most cases, parents are just interested, and they want to help their child make the right decision."

But Cassandra Jardine, author of the parenting book Positive Not Pushy, warns that there can be a fine line between parents being interested and helpful and being pushy.

"Parents might think that when they get involved in their child's career decision-making, they are just giving them the benefit of their breadth of experience," she says.

"But they may then find it hard to adopt a laissez-faire attitude. What they need to keep at the front of their mind is that this career choice is about what's best for their child, and not what's best for them."