Guiding Your Student in Career Planning

In This Section

Three of the most valuable actions parents/guardians can take to assist their student with career planning are:

listening,
being open to ideas and
helping them find information.

Adapted from an article by Dr. Thomas J. Denham, career development professional

1. Encourage your student to visit the Career/Transfer Center

Many students use their first semester to settle into college life, and this is an optimal time to start using Career/Transfer Center services.

Students sometimes procrastinate with choosing a major or career path because they are not aware of the resources to assist them. Encourage your student to make an appointment with a career counselor to get started. A career decision should be a process and not a one-time, last-minute event.

The Career/Transfer Center offers a full range of career development and job preparation help, including:

individual career counseling
workshops on writing resumes and cover letters, interviewing, networking and other topics
career events, including career panels and information sessions
online resources including Focus 2 and Candid Career
Career Chats podcasts
one-on-one assistance with resume and cover letter writing
one-on-one assistance with interviewing
assistance with how to search for a job or internship*
a library of books and on a wide range of careers.

* The Career/Transfer Center does not provide job placement services.

2. Encourage your student to take a career development course

Citrus College offers a number of career courses.

COUN 101 – Career Self-Assessment
COUN 103 – Social Media for Job/Internship
COUN 145 – Career and Life Planning
COUN 203 – Building Grit and Resiliency for Life Long Learning and Career
COUN 204 – Pathways to Careers in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
COUN 205 – Pathways to Healthcare Careers
COUN 206 – Pathways to Careers in STEM
COUN 207 – Pathways to Careers in Business and Information Tech Systems
COUN 208 – Pathways in Career and Technical Education

* Please review the college's official catalog website for class units and transferability for each course.

3. Allow your student to make the decision

Even though it is helpful to ask occasionally about career plans, a student should take ownership of their career planning process.

Myth: A student must major in something "practical" or marketable.
Truth: Students should follow their own interests and passions. Work satisfaction and life satisfaction depend on the extent to which our work and life provide adequate outlets for our unique abilities, interests, personality traits and values.

Myth: Choosing your major means picking the career you will have forever.
Truth: That's not true anymore. "Major" does not necessarily mean "career," and it is not unusual for a student to change majors. Many students change majors after gaining more information about specific fields of study and career fields of interest. Many students end up doing something very different than originally planned, so don't worry if they change directions a few times, the majority of students do.

It's okay to make suggestions about majors and career fields, but let your son/daughter be the ultimate judge of what's best. Career development can be stressful. Maybe this is the first really big decision that your son or daughter has had to make. Be patient, sympathetic and understanding.

For more myths about college majors, check out our #MajorMyths videos.

4. Advise your student to write a resume

Writing a resume can be a "reality check" and can help a student identify what skills they need to improve or develop. You can review resume drafts for grammar, spelling and content, but recommend that the final product be critiqued by a Career/Transfer Center career counselor.

Visit the counseling appointments site to schedule time to meet with a career counselor.

5. Expose your student to the world of work

Ask them, "Do you have any ideas about what you might want to do when you graduate?"

If your son/daughter seems unsure, you can talk about personal qualities you see as talents and strengths. You can also recommend:

taking an assessment test, such as Focus 2. Other assessments including the *Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the *Strong Interest Inventory and *CliftonStrengths are also available after meeting with a career counselor.
talking to favorite faculty members.
researching a variety of interesting career fields and employers through Candid Career.
volunteer or intern in industries or environments where they may have an interest.
conducting an informational interview with someone in a field they are interested.

* These assessments have a material fee.

6. Emphasize the importance of internships

Colleges grant degrees, but not job guarantees. Having relevant experience in this competitive job market is critical.

Your student can sample career options by completing internships and experimenting with summer employment opportunities and volunteer work.

Why an internship?

Employers are interested in communication, problem-solving and administrative skills, which can be developed through internships.
Employers look for experience on a student's resume and often hire from within their own internship programs.
Having a high GPA is not enough.
A strong recommendation from an internship supervisor may tip the scale of an important interview in the student's favor.

For more information, check out our internship guide.

7. Encourage extracurricular involvement

Part of experiencing college life is to be involved and active outside the classroom. Interpersonal and leadership skills – qualities valued by future employers – are often developed in extracurricular activities.

8. Help your student stay up-to-date with current events

Employers will expect students to know what is happening around them. Buy your student a subscription to the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal or a publication (print or online) that is related to their field of interest.

9. Teach the value of networking

Introduce your student to people who have careers/jobs that are of interest to them. Suggest they contact people in your own personal and professional networks for information on summer jobs. Encourage them to "shadow" someone in the workplace to increase awareness of interesting career fields.