Why Your College Student Needs Career Coaching

Stress is a major problem for college students throughout the United States. While some students have a clear vision for their future, many feel overwhelmed when trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Three key sources of stress include choosing the right career path, deciding on the right major, and landing internships and post-graduate employment.

For its Spring 2013 National College Health Assessment, the American College Health Association surveyed undergraduate students about what they found traumatic or difficult to handle; career-related issues (at 24.6 percent) scored second only to academics (at 46.3 percent). Just over half of students surveyed reported experiencing higher than average or tremendous levels of stress.

ADDRESS YOUR STUDENT's STRESS

Clearly, college can be an overwhelming time in a student’s life. Your child is making choices that will impact their future, but chances are, they are unsure of their future goals. This is where career coaching can have a profound impact.

Career coaching can help your child:

• Identify their talents, values and passions and align these with their future career

• Navigate the endless maze of possibilities to discover their best career fit

• Choose the right major, college, classes and internships to prepare them for their desired career

• Drastically reduce their career-related anxiety and confusion

Working with a coach early on allows your student to become more focused and proactive in pursuit of their goals, which often translates to improved academic performance and graduation within four years.

BEYOND THE UNDERGRADUATE YEARS

When it comes time to apply for jobs after graduation, career coaching can help your child learn and develop effective job search strategies, dramatically improve their interviewing skills, and create a professional, well-written resume to stand out among the competition — all of which will serve them well over their lifetime.

If your child’s chosen career path requires a graduate degree, a coach can help them determine which schools best fit their career goals, as well as guide them through the application and interview process to significantly increase their chance of acceptance into the program of their choice.

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