Career coaching helps students identify relevant career paths based on their education, but only one in five graduates receive this support.
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More than half of college students enter higher education to achieve higher earning potential, and the majority of students are interested in getting a better job, according to a February study by education technology provider Anthology. They say they have career-focused goals when they enroll, including accessing benefits and exploring career opportunities. . However, not all graduates are able to achieve such goals.
Previous research from the Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute found that more than half of college graduates are underemployed or employed in jobs that typically do not require a bachelor’s degree a year after graduation. It turned out. This trend continues 10 years later, with 45% of students who do not pursue further education being underemployed.
Strada’s new report suggests a solution to bridging this gap between education and employment: providing students with career advice.
According to the report, “Connecting learning to students’ career development at each stage of the education-to-career pathway strengthens students’ ability to make informed choices, implement plans, and achieve their goals.” “It will be done.”
What you need: Even though many students consider a career to be an important outcome of higher education, identifying what career or education path to pursue after graduation can be confusing and stressful. . The May 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found that 68% of college students experience at least “some degree” of stress as they think about and prepare for life after college.
This uncertainty extends to students who have yet to decide on their next steps after high school. According to a June 2023 survey conducted by ECMC Group, 65% of Gen Z teens believe that post-high school education is necessary, but they are not ready to make decisions about their future. Only 13% felt that they were.
Issue: Strada defines quality career coaching as:
methodology
Strada’s report is drawn from a four-year survey of 2020 to 2023 graduates of public institutions, with an overall n range of 7,010 to 7,019.
Guidance or individualized coaching to help students choose the education and training experiences they need to pursue a successful career. Timely information means that students are informed before or during their first year about what career paths are suitable for them, the job opportunities that the program may offer, the earning potential in different careers, and the same This means learning about the career outcomes of students at your institution. We help you set your educational and career goals, develop a plan to achieve them, and create potential barriers to success.
Strada’s report found that when students receive career coaching, they are more likely to get a job that requires a college degree (69%) and are more likely to think about the impact of education on their well-being (87%) and achieve their goals. It turned out that the support for the project was highly valued. Goal (73%)
However, only one in five undergraduates at public universities say they receive quality education-to-career coaching, including accounting (29%), education (28%), and nursing. There are even more students in some majors, such as (25%). More likely than others to have coaching experience. Meanwhile, students who majored in liberal arts and social sciences (16%) or psychology (15%) were less likely to report having coaching experience.
Information gap: Of the three components of career coaching, students were more likely to receive support (67 percent) and guidance (53 percent) than timely information (38 percent).
When students receive timely information, it is most often about their strengths and interests, how they connect to a career path (60 percent), and the job opportunities the program may bring (50 percent). %), or their earning potential in various careers related to them. Program (49%). Only one-third of students were aware of the career achievements of other students at their institution.
The sources of this information are varied, with students learning more from course instructors and other university staff compared to individual coaching and advice, highlighting the role of faculty in preparing students for their careers.
One of the important sources of career guidance for university students is family and friends, with one-quarter of learners learning from family and friends. The data revealed equity gaps among historically underrepresented student groups who may not have similar relationships with professionals. First-generation students are generally less likely to receive information from family and friends, and survey data shows a 6-10 percentage point difference between first-generation and continuing-generation students. It has been shown that Nonbinary students were similarly less likely to receive information from friends and family.
so what? Based on this data, Strada’s report offers five recommendations for universities to implement.
Provide timely information to new students. This can be incorporated into orientation, initial advising sessions, first-year experiences, and traditional communication strategies to help students explore their interests and align with their career paths. Contact students where they are. Incorporating guidance into the core curriculum will reach students who may face obstacles in the career center and ensure that students receive support regardless of their academic program. Campus leaders can consider how technology can be incorporated to achieve this goal. Build multiple touchpoints. Introducing repetition into instruction ensures that students benefit from this approach, as they understand and utilize the various elements of coaching during the course of their education. Provide data to practitioners. Students lack important information that influences career decisions, such as students’ earning potential and past career accomplishments within the program. Career center professionals and faculty should collect and disseminate this data early. Enable all members of the campus community to discuss careers. Staff, faculty, colleagues, alumni, and employers can all be valuable resources for providing guidance and information to students, so university leaders must provide students with the tools and preparation to bridge these gaps. .
Do you have any career readiness tips that might help others promote student success? Please tell us about them.
