I don’t know if it ever was easy. But the college to career transition sure seemed easier when I graduated. I do not recall too many of my friends suffering over the possibility of unemployment. Now, I am routinely contacted by parents concerned about their child’s post-college future.
Parents worry when they see companies leaving Connecticut and stories about Connecticut’s economic prospects. They worry when they read about twentysomethings drifting through retail jobs. They worry that they just wasted their investment in college. I tell them to stop. Immediately.
Instead, I tell them to focus on what they can control. They cannot control any of the above in relation to their child’s career path. They can control how to help their child make a successful college to career transition. The missing piece has always been career advisory services. This should be covered in high school. It is not. This should be covered in college. It is not. Moreover, this is not the 19th century when children followed their parents into a line of work. Nor is this the 20th century where jobs in big corporations helped adrift twentysomethings go through training programs that essentially created their careers. The 21st century is unchartered territory. You need to figure out your place in the job/career marketplace. And, yes, that’s how we can help.