The College Investment: Start Career Exploration Now

By College Advice
Off to college… and to career

I speak with Connecticut parents every day about college.  I have done so for 15 years.  In the last several years, discussions have almost always included the financial investment required.  While we all want our children to have a great life experience in their college years, most every parent is worried about the career pay off.

How can you ensure that your investment provides a return on investment?

Start Career Exploration Now

It used to be that children were built-in apprentices to their parents’ work world. Fathers who were farmers, blacksmiths, draftsman and so forth would bring their sons along to learn their trade. Mothers, whether for paid work or not, taught their daughters cooking, cleaning, sewing and so forth.

This was true for the higher professions as well as families of accountants, physicians, and lawyers spanned generations.

This changed as the world became more complex and more mobile.

Working for corporations and large organizations created many jobs that could not be taught to children and would not make any sense outside the context of the organization. It would be hard to teach anyone about the T.P.S. reports that you need to generate every month.

When I talk with young people about what their parents do, the most common response is vague. My mom works in business.” Or my favorite “My Dad works in an office.”

As a parent, what should you do? In addition to talking to your children about career possibilities, teach them how to explore potential careers.  We can help through our career counseling subsidiary Career Counseling Connecticut

Connecticut parents should remember that their children grow up in a suburban bubble where they do not have many opportunities for internships or job shadowing.  Spending some time showing your children different aspects of the world of work will serve them well.