A Career Planning Course for Parents

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 child had a little more sense of direction. 
 

Choosing a career is a process students need to go through—and they go through the stages of this process at different rates of speed. The steps include: 

• assessing skills, interests, and abilities (an important first step to choosing an appropriate career);
• exploring majors and career options;
• experimenting with possible career options; and
• organizing and conducting a job or graduate school search. 
• You can assist and support your child in each of these stages. But what can—or should—you do? 

Here's your own career planning timetable. 

Careers 101—for parents of first-year students
During their first year or so of college, students will be involved (formally or informally) in assessing their skills, interests, and abilities. They will do this through finding success (or failure) in courses they take, involvement in campus activities, discussions with their friends and faculty, and by being exposed to and trying out different ideas and experiences. 

Most students enter college with a very limited knowledge of the vast array of courses and majors available to them. When they begin to delve into studies that are new to them, even those who entered with a plan may be drawn to different options. This is an exciting time for students.

What you can do to help

• Support your child's exploration of new areas of study and interests. This, after all, is what education is all about.
• Affirm what you know to be areas of skill and ability he or she has consistently demonstrated. Sometimes students overlook these and need to be reminded.
• Talk with your son or daughter about the courses and activities he or she is enjoying. Students discover new things about themselves throughout the college experience. Your willingness to listen and be a sounding board will keep you in the loop.
• Don't panic if your child is excited about majoring in something like English, history, or art. These can be excellent choices, particularly if they are a good match for a student's interests and skills.
• Support your son or daughter's responsible involvement in campus activities but urge this to be balanced with maintaining achievement in the classroom.
• Urge your child to seek assistance in the campus career center. Most institutions have assessment instruments and counselors to help students to define their skills, interests, and abilities.

Careers 401—For parents of graduating seniors
The senior year is when organizing and conducting a job search or graduate school search begins in earnest. It is also a time when students are heavily involved in more advanced courses and often have more responsible roles in campus and/or volunteer activities. Balancing these important pursuits and setting priorities is a constant challenge for seniors. 

You are probably anxious for this young adult to make a decision—and yet, he or she may be moving toward closure more slowly than you would wish. 

What you can do to help

• Suggest that he or she use the campus career center throughout the senior year. These offices provide assistance in preparation for the job search. Offerings may include:
• Workshops and individual help with resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and other
• job-search skills,
• Individual and group career advising,
• Job-search resources,
• On-campus interviewing opportunities, and,
• Alumni career consultant or mentor programs.
• Don't nag your child about not having a job yet. This will often have the reverse effect. Use positive reinforcement.
• Offer to assist by sending information you may have found about your child’s target career field and/or job listings that may be of interest. Listen for indications from your child that you are getting carried away—and back off.
• Don't call potential employers to intervene for your child. Contact with potential employers is the candidate's responsibility.
• Be prepared to support your child through the ups and downs of the job and graduate school search. It can be a bumpy road—not every desired job or graduate school acceptance will come through. Your student will need reassurance that for every door that closes, another opens.

Psw 3 yrs

Application Process

• The undergraduate application is available online only. Applications must be received in the Office of Admissions by the deadline shown above. A $35 nonrefundable application fee is required.
• Submit an official or certified copy of all secondary and post-secondary records and/or examination results. All credentials from non-U.S. institutions must be evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation agency. We recommend a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. All academic records must be issued in the native language and be accompanied by a certified English translation. If your high school does not follow a U.S. grading scale (A, B, C, D, F or 0 - 100), you must submit a course-by-course evaluation report with a U.S. equivalent grade point average. College/university documents need to include a course-by-course evaluation.
• Submit official ACT [code: 0726] and/or Redesigned SAT [code: 5215] results, if entering as a freshman or sophomore transfer student.
• Florida A&M University is required by U.S. federal regulations to verify the financial resources of each applicant prior to issuing the Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 or DS-2019). Complete the International Student Financial Statement. You will provide information verifying your financial support (bank statements, award letters, scholarships, etc.). FAMU requires proof of financial support for the first year of study and demonstrated availability of funds for the length of your academic program.
• Submit all AICE, AP, IB, or CLEP results if you have earned college credit through one of these accelerated mechanisms.
• Submit official English Proficiency TOEFL and/or IELTS Test Scores if your native language is not English.
• Official GED transcript, if applicable
• 500 word essay; part of application
• Two letters of recommendations teacher and/or counselor; part of application

Applicants whose native language is not English must take an English proficiency exam. The following are the minimum scores required for undergraduate admission to the University:

• Internet based TOEFL (IBTOEFL): 80
• Paper based TOEFL (TOEFL): 550

      * The university's TOEFL code is 5215.

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6

These scores are considered official only when they are sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agency, and are not valid after two years.