Disaster! Dropping Out, in Debt & Depressed

Two big stories broke this week.

For those of you who are considering majors and student loans, a great report is just off the presses. The Hamilton Project launched an interactive calculator that cites earnings data on about 80 different majors, allowing people to look up typical debt burdens by major, over the first decade after college graduation. The link above is to the NYT article, which has a link to the full report.

Another new report focuses on the students who go to college and drop out, and what happens if and when they go back. I spend a lot of time coaching students who dropped out of college for any number of reasons: money, health, wrong school, etc. But the biggest reason students drop out is that they don’t know what they want to do.

The effects of that decision to drop out are long-lasting and far-reaching. Read this report on those who leave college early.

One Mom's gifts

Right after reading that report, I was really touched when a mom, Susan, called me to work with her son, who has been in and out of college. She also hired me to help two other students she knows. Here is what Susan wrote. God bless her for caring so much about these young people.

“Consider this opportunity part of your Christmas gift, but it is really a life gift.  At the end of this exercise and counseling with Pam, I just know you will have some ideas and be excited about a college curriculum to follow and how to pursue a career that will make you excited about every day. 

“Pam Scott helps people find their dreams by narrowing down their likes and dislikes and discussing college and career options that will suit your strong points and desires.  She will also introduce you to people who have similar personality traits, drive and interests for you to talk about what they do in their professional worlds.  She will guide you through an analysis of yourself.  I went through this analysis after [my son] was born; I think of how much it would have helped me as a younger person.”

If you know a young person who has had trouble finding his or her way in college, follow Susan’s example. Help that student find the right path and graduate from college. Our city, our state, and our country need these young people to find their calling.

You can always reach me at 404-248-9475 or pam@whats-your-major.com.

5+ Tips for Picking a Major So much has been going on in our world since I last posted. Christopher and Jessica got married. Family from around the country invaded for a great family reunion. I’ve gotten to talk with several student/educator groups. Now it’s time for me to get back to work helping parents and college-bound students. A lot of great advice has come out recently for parents of students in the college process. Here are just a couple of articles that parents need to check out. Choosing a Major by Age 16 Pays Off Following the old adage of “go to college, experiment, check out lots of courses” no longer works with the ever-increasing cost of college today. College courses are expensive. Each path pursued but not chosen represents time and money that could have been spent pursuing the right major. Of course, colleges benefit greatly from that model. The longer the student stays at college, the more money the college makes. Note to parents: Changing majors is expensive. At the very least, help your student narrow down their options. Don’t let your student be like one that I worked with who went from Business to Russian History to Sound Engineering. 5+ Tips and more The author of this article gives good tips for choosing a major. But I would like to add to that list. Have your student try out majors during the summers or holidays while still in high schools. Hundreds, if not thousands, of online courses are available in any subject a student is interested in. One site offering online courses for students is iTunes. Check out iTune U. If the two links above don’t help you and/or your student with picking the right major, give me a call. I can take your student through our Pathfinder Process to help him or her find the right direction in college. And if you know a college student or college grad who is still confused about the future, send them my way. I work with those folks, too. We save your student time and we save you money. Pam Scott, 404-248-9475 pam@whats-your-major.com P.S.: Please pass this email along to any friends or family members who have students searching for direction. With your help, we can make this part of the college process a little less painful.