Today,I'll answer what is typically asked as a question, but is honestly a concern of many parents. What should we do if my student doesn’t know what college major or career to choose?
This is definitely a very common concern and can be quite controversial. In the end, we have to rely on our opinions, being the parent to our students and knowing them far better than they often know themselves.
As I have often mentioned before this can be a very stressful and anxious time for everyone. The demands our kids are feeling about the whole college process is very real and very overwhelming!
We have to remember that although they seem to be adults physically, they are still kids and very immature how the real world operates. As a result, you must help direct them with this decision.
So let me share with you my years of experience here. I’ve heard every argument or objection from parents, but in the end we nonetheless have to balance between choosing the right academic, social and financial decision for our kids and college.
As adults, we often joke that most parents don’t even know what they want to do when they grow up! Even though that statement might be true, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take this task seriously.
Even if you’re afraid of guiding them in the wrong direction or making a mistake…Give your children the time they deserve. Your child’s future really does depend on it.
I’ll make some general assumptions. If you have a junior or senior in high school, your student most likely has either taken or has available to them, some type of career assessment at school? The high school may use a system called Coins or Naviance. More than likely, it was a “Personality only” Career Assessment.
This presents some additional challenges: 1) Just how organized is this Career Assessment in the high schools college planning process? Do they have trained competent counselors to discuss the career results with your child? Probably not. Chances are it’s an informal reference to tool that’s available for the student. 2) Did you see the career results? More importantly did you have a meaningful heart to heart talk with your kids? Don’t assume their guidance counselor has spent time reviewing it with them!
As I’ve discussed in a previous article, the #1 reason for college students not graduating college in 4 years, according to the NACAC and US Dept of Ed, is “poor career planning be done at the high school level”.
A suitable High School Career Assessment needs to assess a student’s Personality, Interests, Values and Skills.
So if you're not confident how to guide your children, you may want to consider seeking out additional career planning help.
In the end, if they’re still not sure what college major or career to select, I would strongly advise you save a lot of money and have your child attend a local community college first. This way they can begin taking basic liberal arts classes in order to get exposed to a range of disciplines.
I’ve seen too many parents waste A LOT of money sending their kids off to a $50,000/yr liberal arts school when they had no idea what they wanted to do…often resulting in the kids graduating in 5-6 years…you do the math!
William Lynch is an Author, Speaker, Coach and leading expert in the College Planning Industry.
Do you know what you must do if you're undecided which college major or career to choose?
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Unsure Which College Major or Career to Choose?
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