Career Planning Strategies for College Students

CAREER PLANNING Charles Mayer Director, Career Development Davidson County Community College

Two schools of thought about the best possible time for students to select a major. Take a semester of classes while exploring career options and then choose a major. Some colleges are able to offer this option. Choose a major before registering for classes. Research has indicated that students are more likely to complete a program when they have a career goal and a plan to achieve it. Make undecided students aware that there is nothing wrong with them because they have not made a decision yet. May take some of the pressure off. WHEN TO SELECT A MAJOR

Professional career development assistance, including but not limited to career counseling. Career counseling conducted by trained individuals. Global Career Development Facilitator training. Partnership with Admissions staff. Provide access to career information on the front end. Facilitate connections with Career Counselors often. BEST PRACTICES

Provide accurate updated information about majors and career opportunities. Offer short, user friendly career assessments (paper and online) and interpretation by Career Counselors. Typically interests, skills and values can be useful assessments. Employment Outlook: Projections, entry wages and with experience, talk about students expected expenses The generation graduating from high school see parents as partners in their major and career decision making process. Parental involvement is important to remember when doing Career Counseling. BEST PRACTICES

Initially referrals for Career Counseling only: students self referred, or were referred by Admissions or Advising staff; sometimes faculty Partnership with faculty teaching the Student Success /First Year Experience Course: Each class included a Career Exploration Module that included an individual career assessment, homework assignments and classroom discussion. HOW WE INCORPORATED CAREER PLANNING AT DCCC

Built Career Exploration into our new student information session: Prospective students completed a career assessment and brief class discussion. After the information session held a brief one-on- one meeting with all new students to discuss their career goals and determine if they need further Career Counseling. This can be challenging with a small staff. Currently schedule a Career Counseling appointment with students that are undecided or want to talk about their career plans before confirming their program of study. HOW WE INCORPORATED CAREER PLANNING AT DCCC

Have paper and online career exploration resources available Teach students the value of labor market information Establishing Job Shadowing contacts in the community Arranging informational interviews Partnership with faculty to coordinate experiential learning/work- based learning opportunities in the community Partner with Academic Advising staff For transfer students plan what can I do with this major group discussions College Open House have a Career Services staff presence, hold a workshop, etc. OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE

CONTACT ME Charles Mayer Director, Career Development (336) 249-8186 ext. 6312 Davidson County Community College charles_mayer@davidsonccc.edu