“What can you do with _______ as your major?”

“How will you make money doing _______?”

These are common questions parents ask when they’re children choose a major. Most of the time, choice of college major is where the conversation ends.

But, this isn’t where the conversation about the future should end.

So what should parents be saying, urging, or even helping their freshman do to prepare for their future career?

Below are three areas in which a college parent can help to prepare their freshman for a career:

1. Shadowing

2. Volunteering

3. Career-related summer jobs (& experiences)

Posts two and three are coming soon. Stay tuned!

I am a college instructor who also advises freshmen in a generalist major.

When I talk to many of these 18-year-olds, they often have a hard time articulating why they chose their major. 

They can use their major to pursue various fulfilling and lucrative careers, but these inexperienced freshmen don’t know where to start.

I step in and help them craft a career path forward, asking them to identify a few specific areas they particularly find intriguing within this general field of study. Then, I help them craft a career plan that includes shadowing experiences.

So why is shadowing included in this list of career plan items? Shadowing helps to expose freshmen to the profession which they are heading toward.

So what is shadowing?

In one article, Indeed’s editorial team define it as “an experience where a job seeker or student follows and observes a professional throughout their workday.”

During this workday, your freshman can observe what a typical day in a specific field (e.g. accounting) looks like.

What are the benefits of shadowing?

Besides observing the regular rhythms and routines of a field of work, your freshman can identify other important factors.

Alison Doyle, in an article for The Balance Careers, points out these key benefits to shadowing:

• Personal passion: Shadowing can help your freshman identify if they have personal passion for a field of work.

• Skill set match: Shadowing can help your freshman identify if their natural skill set fits this field.

• Increase professional contacts: Shadowing can widen your freshman’s networking connections. These professionals can later become valuable contacts when your freshman looks for future work in the summers, for internships, and when pursuing full-time work post-graduation.

How can you help your freshman acquire shadowing opportunities?

Shadowing can be an easy “get” but sometimes is more challenging in a still fairly virtual world of work.

While you can take over this process (which would probably be easier and more convenient for you), I’m going to suggest you collaborate with your freshman. Let them be part of the process. 

Why is this important? This can help to increase your freshman’s level of confidence and level of experience navigating the “waters” of job-acquiring.

So how do you help your freshman be part of the process and also guide them? Here are some of my suggestions:

• Converse with your freshman about future career paths. Ask them what they enjoy, have interest in, and more. Dream with them a little (without shooting down every idea that seems a little unrealistic).

• Help them identify a few family or community connections. These professionals could be your neighbors, spouse of your coworker, etc. Help your freshman see what connections they may already have through their contacts.

• Guide them as they write a message to a professional they’d like to shadow. You may need to help them acquire contact information, but encourage them to acquire an email address or phone number for those professionals. Give them a few key ideas they should include and let your freshman write the message. Then proofread, give some feedback, and send the messages.

Shadowing can be a scary thing for your freshman to initiate but they have the tools to be successful. Your guiding hand can be just the nudge they need in the right direction toward a rewarding and profitable career.

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