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These articles address the unique needs of college students and answer their parents' questions.

A Career Action Plan It's important, career counselors say, to start thinking about your career as early as possible. That doesn't mean you have to know exactly what you want to be after college-or that you can't change your mind along the way. Your freshman year isn't too early to start mapping out your future-even if you haven't chosen a major yet. (pdf)

A Career Planning Course for Parents Sally Kearsley, retired director of the career center of Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, spent 28 years helping students find their directions. She writes, "Your son or daughter just left for (or returned to) college but doesn't seem to have a clue as to what he or she wants to major in, let alone choose as a career. Don't worry! This is not unusual, although you might wish your student had a little more sense of direction! Choosing a career is a process students (and adults!) need to go through-and students go through the stages of this process at different rates of speed." (pdf)

Great Books for Graduating Seniors Even though life after college doesn't come with an instruction book, here are some great books to get your graduate started with "life in the real world." (pdf)

How Assessment Can Help You Choose a Major or a Career The center staff can't make academic or career decisions for you. You can, by scheduling counseling sessions with the staff and using other resources available through your career center, including assessment tools. (pdf)

A Parent's Guide to Career Development "One of the most valuable things parents can do to," says Thomas Denham, director of the Siena College Career Center in Loudonville, New York, "is help a student with career planning is listen: be open to ideas, try to help your student find information, and be nonjudgmental." Denham offers 10 tips to parents who want to help. (pdf)

Parents Have Their Say About Their College Age Children's Career Decisions-"Families, parents and guardians in particular, play a significant role in the occupational aspirations and career goal development of their children. Without parental approval or support, students and young adults are often reluctant to pursue-or even explore-diverse career possibilities. Yet parents may be unaware of the influence they have on the career development and vocational choice of their children. (pdf)

What a Career Center Can Do For You Are you uncertain about what major to pursue or have you already chosen a major but aren't sure where it can take you? Career counselors at your college/university career center have a wide array of tools to help you make the right choices. (pdf)

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