What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question many middle-aged adults still haven’t answered yet. So how can we expect high school students to know which college, major and career will be right for them?
The last years of high school can be a stressful and overwhelming time in your child’s life. Students have a world of options before them, but many struggle with how to best narrow it all down. Career coaching can help your child gain greater self-awareness of their talents, interests, values and passions to more effectively determine which colleges to apply to, which major to choose, which classes to take, and which internships to apply for, in order to target the right career for them.
The Importance of Selecting the Right Major
A recent educational study shows that over 40 percent of college students fail to earn a degree within six years, and many never complete their education. Only 38 percent of full-time students at four-year institutions complete a bachelor’s degree in four years, and the completion rate after six years is only 58 percent.
Further, the 2013 College Choice Report by ACT showed that only about one in three high school students chooses a college major that is a good fit with their interests, while a 2012 study by Rutgers University reported that 37 percent of recent college graduates said they wished they had been more careful about selecting a major or had chosen a different major.
In many cases, students make their decision to enter college based on limited information, only to discover that the program and courses they chose are not a good fit for their aptitudes or don’t sustain their interest. By investing the time and effort now to explore and identify the best choices for them, your child will be more focused, confident and motivated during their college years – and able to graduate on time.
Career coaching can help your high school student:
- Discover the career path that will bring them the most satisfaction and fulfillment
- Evaluate and identify the best college, major, classes and internships to set them up to land the right job when they graduate
- Develop a strategic plan to guide them through their high school and college years and achieve their career goals
- Drastically improve their interviewing skills to attain their ideal internships and job
- Craft professional, well-written resumes to earn the attention of potential employers
- Significantly reduce their anxiety and confusion about their college choices and future career
By engaging in career coaching now, it will enhance your child’s future success and happiness and save them a lot of future stress, anxiety and expense. As a parent, there’s no more important gift you can give your child than helping them find a career they love.
How could a career coach help your child?