---By Adele Scheele
“We baby boomer parents can’t compare our experiences in choosing our careers to the experiences of our children who are now enrolled in college and looking at potential careers of their own. Our past, the present, and the future have been dramatically altered by technology, by corporate restructuring, and by the proliferation of new work done in new ways. We parents graduated from school with an orderly, secure, and predictable marketplace in both corporate and professional life. Our children won’t. Yet the skills for success in the work force remain the same:

• Engagement
• Communication
• Courage
• Networking
• Leadership

It’s these skills that we should encourage so that our children/students can tap into their own interests, their own passions, and discover rich opportunities. College can be used as a personal laboratory for these discoveries.”

Besides footing the bill for tuition, parents can play many roles. Coach your student on careers and encourage involvement in academic studies and co curricular activities. While parents can not directly steer their kids to the right career path, they can motivate their students to be actively involved and thoughtful so that they don’t waste college. Here’s how to start:

• Encourage students to shadow, volunteer, and engage in an internship or two. Most of the majors in the College of Health & Human Performance require an internship, but the more experience gained, the better. Most internships provide a testing ground to check fantasy or reality of a major and career, and can possibly lead to employment after graduation. The Career Center is a great place for students to go to learn more about internships, job fairs, and on-campus interviews.
• Encourage your student to turn one or two professors into mentors. A student who does this will learn to build a relationship. Faculty can give direction based on the student’s demonstrated work, ideas, and skills.
• Encourage your students to join co-curricular activities. While parents cannot determine which clubs and organizations their students join, the act of selecting an activity itself leads to self-discovery, growth, and ultimately leadership qualities. Getting involved in co-curricular activities also provides a balance to help students adjust quicker to college. To learn more about what is offered at ECU visit the Department of Student Experiences.
• Take the time to learn about your students degree of interest. Kinesiology, Health Education & Promotion, or Recreation & Leisure Studies.