Flipping the College Decision-Making Paradigm

Spring break is a time when many families begin to tour college campuses. This outstanding video shows what Reeder Consulting has been talking about for years. We view the college decision-making process the wrong way by selecting the college first, then the major, then the career. This month, I was helping a young adult prepare his resume at a local university. He was a sociology major and I asked him what he planned to do with his degree when he graduated in a year. He had no idea and not only that, he didn't even know what kind of careers existed for this type of degree. Honestly, it made me angry. This young adult has spent 3 years+ in a major with zero idea of how that translates into the workforce.

It's so frustrating to me because, as I preach and preach and preach, we attend a university for a career. It's too expensive now to gamble on the largest decision in the young adult's life. Decisions are made by little, if any, real concrete information. 45% of students who enter college do not finish. 45%! And as I'm getting more and more calls from parents saying their young adult is not happy or doubting their career pathway, it's important to remind everyone we need to change how we make decisions.

So before you begin touring college campuses, seek out formal career exploration. And a reminder of a phrase I've coined, "Don't step foot on a campus until you know your career." We can help.