Many parents and family members will be spending more time than usual with their son or daughter over the Thanksgiving holiday. Between mouthfuls of turkey and pumpkin pie, this may be the perfect opportunity to talk with them about things you normally don’t get a chance to explore. For instance, what courses are they truly enjoying and excelling at—and even more importantly, why? Are they actively involved with any campus activities and if so, what’s motivating them to get and stay involved? In and out of class, what are they doing well that they also enjoy? How are they thinking about spending their winter break— even their summer?
Your student is acutely aware when you are about to gently remind or give advice. You might want to ease into the conversation by sharing some of your own college and/or career experiences. Share memories of the classes you remember most fondly, when you experienced that ah-ha moment and discovered what you really wanted to do. Discuss that spur of the moment decision to participate in an activity that introduced you to discipline, teamwork, and lifelong friends; what you wish you would have done during your youth but didn’t.
And while your child ultimately will need to undertake career exploration and decision-making on their own, most will find it helpful to know what guided your own career decision process. It may even prompt them to share some of their life at UMBC, their own hopes, and even fears.
Should the conversation avail itself to advice giving, you may want to put a plug in for campus resources that are at their fingertips, like the Career Center. The Career Center offers materials and counseling for students exploring career direction, services to connect students with employers and internship/job opportunities, and information to assist students who want to continue their education after UMBC. We love to talk about all these resources, so should your conversation put them in a chatty mood, send them our way!