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. College can be used as a personal laboratory for these discoveries. Besides footing the tuition bill, parents can play the role of career coach and encourage the very important involvement in academic studies and cocurricular activities.
Internships serve several functions.
Some provide access into an industry, such as entertainment. Most provide a testing ground to check reality or fantasy of a major or career. Students then can opt in or out of a field or company, and maybe land a job offer after graduation. Encourage your students to turn one or two professors into mentors. A student who does this will learn to build a relationship.