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.
Faculty can give direction based on the student s demonstrated work, ideas, and skills.
Encourage your student to join cocurricular activities and service-learning classes. While parents can't determine which clubs or groups their students join, the act of selecting an activity itself leads to self-discovery and growth. Encourage your college students to expand on regular assignments as opportunities to research industries outside of campus. Tell them not to limit themselves to library-type research or project topics from the professor s list. Expanding on assignments is proactive and gets students to think about what they're interested in and it forces them to follow it up.