Who Do You Think You Are?

15Closing Thoughts

We hope this book has provided some useful guidance and starting points for having important conversations with your child about their career, education and life goals. We have covered a lot of ground and it may feel overwhelming. Below is a quick summary of the most important points you can bring into your conversations with your child.

1. There isn't a single “best” college or a “hot” career that will make or break your child's future. There are multiple colleges, careers, and pathways in life that fit your child's unique personality, strengths, interests, and needs.
2. Has your child defined “success” for themselves? It's important for your child to reflect honestly on what they want out of work. Do they want a certain kind of day to day experience? Do they want to impact the world in a certain way? Do they want a certain amount of money to fund a specific lifestyle? Help them check these reflections against reality.
3. Think about college and career at the same time. The strategy of getting into the “best college possible” and assuming that the career part will just work itself out is naïve and could end up wasting money and time. A traditional college degree may ...