Parents often ask our Collegewise counselors,
“How can my student pick colleges? He doesn’t even know what he wants to do yet.”
It’s a fair question. And I understand why some parents are uncomfortable with our answer when we tell them this is normal, that many 17-year-olds we meet are unsure of their future career, that even those with some idea might not feel comfortable letting that distant profession drive their college search.
For most parents, the discomfort comes from a feeling of uncertainty.
Does this mean he’ll switch majors four times?
What if he still has no career prospects even after I’ve paid for four years of college?
How are we going to make sure college is worth it for him and for us?
Some parents try to remove that uncertainty by pushing career tests, career-based college searches, or pre-professional majors. But those attempts rarely bring you or your student the clarity that you’re looking for. In fact, prematurely forcing a future outcome just increases the risks that a student will stumble or disengage along the way.
But that doesn’t mean you have to endorse four years of meandering aimlessly through college.
I don’t think that any parent who pays for college is obligated to endorse four years of pure fun balanced with just enough work to barely get by. You can and should make your expectations clear while your student is in college, hopefully by encouraging productive actions like building a remarkable college career, challenging themselves by trying things that might not work, and using college opportunities to develop skills that could align with future careers.
No, it’s not the same as drawing a straight line to a future career. But you’ll be encouraging the behaviors that won’t just help your student reap the most benefit from college, but that also give the best chance for future success and happiness.