David laughed.
“I guess we spent over $10,000 on private tennis lessons.”
He was talking about his son Jake — and his initial reluctance to hire a career counselor.
“I thought college would help him figure it out.”
It didn’t.
And this is not unusual.
Here’s the self-serving note: I get that what I write below is about spending money on services that we offer. I also say, with increasingly less self-consciousness, that I am in a fortunate place in my career, working for “mission first.” The wonders of investing as a young guy and now being a not-so-young guy…
The College Career Office Myth
Many well-educated Connecticut parents assume that once their child attends a “good college,” career direction will naturally follow.
It rarely does.
Even strong universities typically offer:
-
Resume reviews
-
Internship listings
-
Career fairs
-
On-campus recruiting
That is helpful — but only if a student already knows:
-
What industry they want
-
What role they are targeting
-
What skill set they are developing
Most college students in Connecticut do not have that clarity.
Career placement offices are transactional.
Career counseling is strategic.
They are not the same.
Moreover, given the wildly changing world of work, which has been accelerated but not created by AI, most college placement officers are well out of their depth.
The Paradox Of Child Investment
At Career Counseling Connecticut, I have observed something curious over the years.
Families who worked with my broader educational company, The Learning Consultants, often spent:
-
Thousands on math tutoring (even when math was not a future career path)
-
Thousands on SAT/ACT preparation
-
Thousands on college counseling
Yet when it came to career guidance — the decision that determines long-term trajectory, earnings, and life satisfaction — there was hesitation.
Why?
Connecticut parents invest heavily in performance optimization.
But career direction is not viewed as performance training.
It should be.
The Sports Coaching Analogy (Especially in Connecticut)
In towns across Connecticut — from Fairfield County to the shoreline communities — parents willingly hire:
-
Private tennis coaches
-
Football trainers
-
Swim instructors
-
Club team specialists
The goal is improvement, exposure, maybe even a college scholarship.
But let’s be candid.
Connecticut is not a national sports pipeline. Many of our excellent athletes ultimately compete at the Division III level — which is commendable — but rarely career-defining.
Yet parents understand this:
Coaching accelerates development.
Why would the job market — infinitely more complex than youth athletics — require less guidance?
Three Common Misconceptions About Career Counseling in Connecticut
1. “They Should Figure It Out Themselves.”
This belief is understandable — but outdated.
The modern labor market is dramatically more complex than even ten years ago:
-
AI automation reshaping entry-level roles
-
Remote work expanding competition nationally
-
Rapidly evolving industries
-
Credential inflation
-
Networking-driven hiring
Even highly motivated self-starters who come to Career Counseling Connecticut struggle to translate a college major into a coherent career strategy.
Figuring it out alone is possible.
But inefficient.
2. “Career Counseling Is for Lost Students.”
This is false.
Most of our Connecticut clients are not confused art history majors facing limited options.
In fact, most are:
-
Business majors
-
Economics students
-
STEM-oriented students
-
Liberal arts students with practical minors
-
Recent graduates in reasonable fields
They are not lost.
They are unfocused.
Career counseling in Connecticut today is about:
-
Defining industry themes
-
Clarifying monetizable skill sets
-
Aligning internships with long-term positioning
-
Building coherent professional narratives
-
Creating strategic momentum before graduation
It is about optimization — not rescue.
3. “We’ve Already Spent So Much Money…”
This is often the most honest hesitation.
Parents have invested in:
-
Private high school tuition
-
Test preparation
-
College tuition
-
Extracurricular development
But here is the uncomfortable economic reality we increasingly see across Connecticut:
More twentysomethings are living at home.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that.
But there is a cost:
-
Food and utilities
-
Gas and insurance
-
Shared household expenses
-
Implicit lifestyle support
-
Delayed independence
And beyond the financial cost is the opportunity cost.
A drifting graduate loses compounding time.
Why Career Counseling in Connecticut Matters More in the AI Era
Artificial intelligence is accelerating skill obsolescence.
Generalist graduates are vulnerable.
Strategically positioned graduates are not.
At Career Counseling Connecticut, we help young adults:
-
Identify high-leverage industries in the Northeast and beyond
-
Develop durable skill stacks
-
Position themselves competitively in an AI-influenced economy
-
Transition from college to career with clarity
This is not resume polishing.
It is long-term career architecture.
Back to David
David laughed because he realized something.
He had no hesitation investing $10,000 in tennis coaching.
But he hesitated when it came to investing in career direction — the decision that determines:
-
Lifetime earnings
-
Geographic flexibility
-
Professional satisfaction
-
Independence
Once his son clarified industry focus and skill development strategy, momentum followed.
That is the difference between hoping college “figures it out” and deliberately building a future.
Career Counseling Connecticut
Strategic Career Guidance for College Students, Recent Graduates, and Twentysomethings Across Connecticut
If your young adult is intelligent but unclear… motivated but unfocused… employed but drifting…
It is not a character flaw.
It is a strategic gap.
And it can be addressed.
Contact Career Counseling Connecticut to begin building clarity in an economy that no longer rewards guesswork.