You’re just weeks away from launching your child off to their first year of college. As a parent, you’ve probably spent countless hours lying in bed wondering if you’ve taught them this or you’ve prepared them for that. You’ve spent 18 years preparing for this moment: launching them into the ‘real world.’ My guess is that you’ve spent hours and hours teaching them life lessons and helping them problem solve. You’ve coached them through friendship conflicts, helped them prepare for SAT/ACT tests, reviewed college essays, and worked through college applications together. But I’m curious if there is one area that may have been overlooked!
Now that you’ve made it this far and you’re ready to launch your child, I want to challenge you to ask yourself how prepared (or confident) your child is to choose a major that will prepare them for a particular career path. The college years can be a time full of growth and development as your young adult starts to make more decisions that will impact their future.
Choosing a college major or a career path isn’t an easy task. Most teens make these decisions with limited knowledge about themselves and the occupations that stand before them. They will have new experiences and gain knowledge through new courses over the next few years. This information will be helpful in guiding them into their career path. One gift that you can give to your child during this season is the tools to assist them with self-exploration, which will directly impact their career-exploration.
Just as premarital counseling is important in preparing for a healthy marriage, self-exploration is foundational to preparing for a career path that will bring fulfillment and satisfaction to your life.
Self-exploration and intentional planning can result in:
- Saving thousands of dollars (taking the wrong classes or failing classes if it isn’t a good fit)
- Saving your child time and energy as they pursue a college degree
- Increased confidence as they are more aware of who they are and what career options may be best suited for them
Making informed decisions will save you money! If that’s not enough, let’s look at the numbers:
- 1 in 3 students pursuing a bachelor’s degree change their major at least once during their undergraduate program.
- 1 in 10 students change their major more than one time
- The average cost of attendance for a student living on campus at an in-state public 4-year institution is $27,146 per year or $108,584 over 4 years
- The average cost of attendance for out-of-state college is$45,708 per year or $182,832 over 4 years
- The average cost of attendance for a private, nonprofit university is $58,628 per year or $234,512 over 4 years
- The average percentage of students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in SIX years is only 64% (fewer students graduate in four years or less)
Identifying Interests Through Coaching
Career planning isn’t typically a linear process. We don’t know what we like or dislike until we experience something. Most students going off to college have limited life experiences that will help determine their career path. But every individual has natural abilities that are stabilized around the age of 14.
Through one-on-one coaching, I offer clients aptitude and interest assessments. These help them identify their natural abilities and interests as they may relate to career fields. Clients are provided with lifelong access to their 30+ pages of reports and career tools that will help them through the career exploration process. The aptitude assessment directly connects an individual’s natural ability patterns to possible career matches in O*Net. This is a comprehensive database of occupational data collected by federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I also work with young adults and their parents to lessen the pressure of decision-making. It’s okay not to have it all figured out quite yet!
If your child is already launched or located out-of-state at college, I offer virtual and in-person coaching options for your convenience. Parents, there is also a place for you in this important process. If you’d like to participate in the coaching sessions with your young adult, we can discuss what that may look like.
Connect with me to set up a free 30-minute consultation call to determine the best steps for you and your child.
References:
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study. Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018434.pdf
Hanson, Melanie. “Average Cost of College & Tuition” EducationData.org, May 28, 2024,
https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college
Written by: Heidi Sawyer
heidi@restorationcoachingatl.com
Heidi enjoys working with clients to utilize assessment tools. These increase self-awareness so they can make informed decisions about their goals or career paths. She loves working with young adults who are exploring their future career paths. She also works with women transitioning back into the career field after a season of focusing on their family. Heidi would love to help you outline your goals and remove the roadblocks that prevent you from moving towards the path that God has for you!