I have been a career counselor for over 15 years. It became clear to me that there were two distinct aspects to the problem of the many college students. The first, and probably the more intense was fear of the impending separation from the safe environment of the college. The major cause of avoidance of any kind of planning was the students' imminent entry into a world of work about which they knew little. I learned that students became immobilized because gripped by an insecurity relating to the world outside the college walls. After all, this would be the first time in their lives that they would not be in school. Through the years, they have been successful at studying and passing exams and now they would be without a prescribed curriculum for the first time in their lives. The rules of success in the world beyond the classroom were not the same….or were they? What, in fact were the rules out there? Outside the safe environment of the college they would faced with many choices for which there would be no right or wrong answers. Real life would not resemble a true or false exam for which they could study.
Such apprehensions lead to procrastination, avoidance, and indecisiveness.
Such issues needs to be discussed in the open and allow these fresh graduate to make a successful transition to the netx phase of their lives. These are some of the most frequent questions surfaced during my conversation with the college students:
- What kind of work do I really want to do?
- How will I ever find an apartment in an unfamiliar city?
- What if I have to move back home with my parents?
- How will I be able to learn to live on a tight budget?
- I do not not know how to deal with pressure and calls from home inquiring about progress wih resumes and interviews
- I do not really know what's out there for people with my major
- What if I hate the job I choose?
- Where will I live If I can't go home to my parents?
- What have I really learned in college? How capable am I?
- Will my employees know what my faults are?
- What will my co-workers be like? Will there be other employees my age?
- How will I make new friends? Will I ever see my college friends again?
Sounds familiar? Well, welcome to the complex world facing college seniors.
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