Parents and Loved Ones

Dear Parents and Loved Ones,

Your students face an uncertain job market. Current projections suggest that many of them will go into professional fields that have not yet been created. Additionally, it is very likely that they will change jobs – both settings as well as disciplines – with great frequency. And both of those possibilities are so very exciting!

It means that your student, having chosen a liberal arts education will benefit greatly from taking classes across subject areas. It means that learning to ask hard questions – of themselves and others – learning how to read critically, navigate nuance, and problem solve, will prepare them well for the future ahead of them. What we do know about the job market is that it needs creative thinkers, collaborators, learners, passion, curiosity, digital awareness, humility, and individuals who know how to take calculated risks.

To this end, your student will benefit from learning how to ask good (sometimes hard) questions – of themselves and of persons working in jobs that interest them. They will benefit from gaining work experience – in an internship, as a volunteer, as a researcher, or as a paid employee. Your students will benefit from gaining and being able to identify their transferable skills – skills that are not specific to a particular course of study or a particular job setting, but that are valued across settings.

Our objective is to help your student explore the many dimensions of career and life planning. We will encourage them to gain self-understanding, to gain awareness of what is possible (professionally/vocationally), to explore, to reflect, to make good decisions, and to take action. And we will encourage them to engage in this process over and over again. The many tools and links you find on this site are merely starting places.

We very much look forward to companioning your student through this process of discovery.