What Am I Going to Do with this Degree?

I typically write about management and business practice enhancements, but I am taking a break from that to post a different subject: career mentoring of college students. The stimulus is my experience as a mentor of graduate students in the counseling, organizational psychology and leadership programs at Columbia University Teachers College, of which I am an alumnus. Many of us have college age children who are considering a major, already in one, or thinking about grad school. It is very possible as well, that with the economic turmoil, some of you may be looking to reinvent yourself by considering other career or training options. Enrollment growth at Adult Education Programs and Community colleges are a reflection of that. Hopefully, these  pointers may be of benefit to you as well.

 I see two broad concerns that students present to me: 1) What kind of work will I actually do with this training, and; 2) Maybe I should be studying something else? I refer to this as “major remorse” representing the student second guessing their choice of study. Rethinking options is not necessarily a bad thing.

 I typically provide these questions to the student before we meet. This allows them time to think about their decision making process and to help me to understand their approach and any gaps in their decision process.

1.  Why did you pursue a degree in your area of study? What was it about the field that impressed you enough that this was the right choice?
2. When you entered the program, what type of work / employer / grad school did you envision yourself doing upon graduation? Has that changed? If so, why? I am trying to get a reality check on the student’s perception versus what the experience in the next phase would really be like. Students, for example, can sometimes  anticipate  extremely high income upon graduation which is not based on what employers would offer. They are then  completely surprised to learn what the market was actually paying.  Also, I am interested to know what is causing the consternation about their choice. Is it a justified concern?
3. What other advice have you received thus far? From whom? Have you taken action in response to the advice? What has been beneficial? Have you encountered any obstacles? If so, what are they? This provides you with a sense of how proactive they have been and what their experience has been in pursuing that advice.
4. Have you worked with someone in your college’s career services department regarding job search and placement advice? What services have they provided you? Resume design? Interview preparation? Job leads?
5. Have you asked the career services department about placement data they have available for your particular field? Are graduates getting jobs? And what type of employers are hiring? Are the jobs reflective of what your training is in?  I am particularly interested to know if they are making an informed decision. Have they conducted any research about the opportunities based on real data, not hearsay. Career placement data and speaking to current working graduates enabled them to gauge their job opportunities. 
6. If you are working currently, where and what is the position?
7. What types of jobs have you applied for? Any success in obtaining interviews?
8. Where are you locating job leads? (internet, friends, career placement office, etc.) 
9. If you could not locate the type of position you prefer, what else would you consider as an alternative? 
10. How are fellow students fairing in their job search? 
11. If they have secured a job, what is it?

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