College and Career Coaching for
Teens and Young Adults

Is your teen feeling lost or confused about what to do in life after high school? Are they struggling with big decisions like; what college should I go to? What should I go to college for?  What career should I pursue? 

Questions about life after high school are some of the most common struggles teens face today. As a parent, you want your teen to feel confident and excited about their future. You want them to have clarity about the next steps in life. 

However, many teenagers feel pressure to pick the right college or major. Many compare themselves to their friends and become frustrated when their own path seems to lack direction. They may feel paralyzed and unable to make a choice. Annoyed that the “A-HA” moment they were expecting to have has not yet arrived. They may even be afraid to disappoint you if they later change their mind.

With so many career options available, choosing a career path is a very common challenge. 

In fact, 75% of american college students either start with an undeclared major or change their major at least once. 

To an extent, career uncertainty can be a good thing. For example, college students who change majors currently graduate at a higher rate than those who don’t. Lack of clarity means your teen is more likely to explore possibilities without making premature decisions they later regret. However, lack of direction without intervention can lead to real consequences. 

• Students who remain undeclared after the first year are at higher risk of dropping out. 
• Nearly 6 in 10 undergraduate students take longer than 4 years to complete their degree. Families pay for classes that become inapplicable, while extended time in school means more debt and added financial pressure after graduation. 
• The 2017 Gallup poll reveals that among alumni who sampled multiple majors in college, 36% would still go back and change majors again if given a choice. 

Such statistics suggests that while career confusion is not necessarily bad, sampling majors may be a more costly, less effective approach to the decision making process.

College and career coaching provides an opportunity to self-reflect, research the options and discover the personal “why” behind a potential choice. In coaching, we utilize practical career assessment tools and exploration of meaning and purpose, to ensure career options are both strengths-based and personally fulfilling.  

In a coaching atmosphere that is comfortable and relaxed, your teen can come to understand what motivates them, as well as how their unique skills can be harnessed for a rewarding line of work. During our sessions, we will identify qualities, interests, preferences, beliefs, and personal staples that align with potential college majors and career choices. We will use the research-backed Self-Directed Search (SDS) career assessment tool, to match aspirations and talents with career and educational options. Teens experience more clarity and less anxiety, as they narrow the list of occupations and potential fields of study. 

Next, we will look for answers to important questions like; average salaries, day-to-day work environments, responsibilities and required skill-sets, from which your teen can more fully imagine each career choice and its potential fit.

With added clarity, you and your teen can have more strategic conversations about immediate next steps following high school. Coaching can shift to support your teenager with the practicalities like: 

• Writing their resume
• Researching college options
• Applying to colleges or jobs
• Learning interview skills
• Transitioning out of high school

With college and career coaching, teens have more information from which to make smart choices about potential colleges, fields of study and career opportunities. Teens graduate high school with more confidence, enthusiasm and peace of mind for the journey ahead.

My approach to coaching is solution-focused, strength-based and actionable. That means I offer brief, scientifically supported strategies that help your teen move from ambivalence toward clarity and action in the most effective way. 

Of course, the length of time in coaching depends on many factors, such as how unclear your teen currently is, how open they are to explore the options and how willing they are to act on the insights they derive from the coaching process. 

Yes, I coach teens nation wide through video conference online. Teens who are local to South Florida may meet with me online or at my office. 

At a minimum, teens can reasonably expect to gain insight, confidence and inspiration about the potential college majors and career options. They should also feel that the coaching relationship helps them organize their thoughts, concretize a plan and feel less overwhelmed by their decisions. College and career options can be a major source of anxiety for teens and parents. I often work with teens to reduce the impact of emotions so they stop procrastinating and start exploring possibilities. Whether your teenager fully commits to a career path by the end of coaching, they should be in a much stronger position to make informed decisions as a result of the process. 

I utilize a sliding scale to try and meet families where they are at. I also use a brief, solution-focused approach, meaning coaching with me may not be a long-term engagement.  Investing in your teen’s future now, can actually save you money down the road. An informed approach to career decision-making that harnesses your teens strengths and passions, makes it more likely they will complete education and training on schedule, feel confident about their decisions and achieve faster financial independence. 

It is very common for teens to initially resist outside help. Many teens want to make independent choices and are afraid that a coach will align with their parents opinions. The truth is that my job as a coach is not to become an advocate for a parent’s point of view. My role is to engage your teenager in a practical process of exploration that ensures they have all the pieces of information from which to make informed decisions for themselves. I find that resistance naturally dissipates once a relationship is established and your teen feels confident that I have no hidden agenda.