Things You Can Do as a Parent
- Be receptive to and listen when your child wants to discuss career and/or college plans.
- Have your child explore career and college options and collect as much information as possible. (For ideas, see Parent Resources.)
- Encourage them to capture their ideas on paper. One idea is to create a scrapbook of their plans for career and college.
- Be aware of various deadlines for applications to colleges and financial aid. Put them on a calendar that both you and your child can look at.
- Suggest that your child meet with a school counselor at least once a year, beginning in the 10th grade, to learn more about college and career planning.
- Be supportive of your child, and meet with their counselor if you sense that he or she needs additional help.
- Encourage your child by helping them see the connection between college and career. Emphasize the importance of selecting a major that helps them prepare for a career.
- If your child is undecided about a career direction, do not try to fix it. Let them look into all the possibilities. Using ACT's DISCOVER can help suggest career paths that may fit better than others.
