In a recent newsletter, higher education expert Jeff Selingo emphasized the importance of viewing the college-to-career transition as a four-year journey, not a last-minute sprint. Joined by three career experts, Selingo shared what students and families should know to navigate this journey effectively: start early, keep up with evolving skills, seek real-world learning experiences, and consider the value of career coaching for students along the way.
Blog Overview – What You Will Learn
- Why the college-to-career transition should be a four-year process, not a senior-year scramble
- Lindsay Pollak’s step-by-step career development plan for each year of college
- How The Birkman Method helps students align their personality, needs, and interests with career choices
- The value of the Birkman Job Families and Titles Report in helping students explore fulfilling career paths early
- A real-world example of career misalignment (Brian’s story) and how he could have avoided it with better insight
- The importance of building key skills like adaptability, communication, and project management early
- How internships, job shadowing, and work-based learning experiences contribute to long-term career success
- Questions families can ask on college visits to assess a school’s career readiness culture
- The role of career coaching in turning self-awareness into purposeful, confident career planning
Lindsay Pollak, author of Getting from College to Career, outlined a simple yet powerful four-year career development plan:
- Freshman Year: Focus on career exploration. Visit the career center, try new experiences, and consider job shadowing.
- Sophomore Year: Begin narrowing your interests. Choose your major thoughtfully, start building a resume, and create a LinkedIn profile.
- Junior Year: Take action. Begin informational interviews and secure an internship to test career interests in the real world.
- Senior Year: Leverage relationships and experiences built over time to find the right job opportunities.
Pollak summed it up nicely: “It’s the cumulative nature of the search that a lot of people miss.” So, how can students stay consistent, focused, and transparent about their goals? This is where working with a career coach and using tools like The Birkman Method career assessment makes a real difference.
Why Career Coaching and The Birkman Method Are Game-Changers
A career coach does more than offer advice. They help students personalize their path. With tools like the Birkman Career Exploration Report, students gain insight into how they behave when at their best, what kinds of environments they thrive in, and which interests energize them.
One of the most practical features of Birkman is the Job Families and Titles Report, which matches a student’s unique personality profile with careers that align with their strengths, needs, and interests. While most assessments focus on what students like doing, Birkman adds a deeper layer: what they need from their environment to stay motivated and fulfilled.
The Risk of Misalignment: Brian’s Story
Take Brian, for example, a recent graduate who landed an entry-level job that looked great on paper. But within a few months, he felt frustrated and unmotivated. His role offered little social interaction, a core need for him, and mainly involved repetitive tasks, which left him bored. Brian’s Birkman profile clearly revealed these needs, but no one had helped him make sense of them during college – a gap that could have been addressed by working with a career coach for college students.
With coaching, Brian might have chosen a more dynamic, team-focused role, one that honored both his social energy and his desire for variety. Instead, he found himself misaligned and disengaged from the start, and that led him to find me as a career coach via Google. I collaborated with Brian to identify his needs, help him recognize what he was missing, and develop a set of sales tools that he can use to find a job that best suits his needs and skills. My goal is to help people communicate more effectively with their current and potential employers about how they can contribute to achieving company goals.
Helping Students Make Informed, Early Decisions
Selingo also emphasized that skills are evolving quickly. According to Matt Sigleman of the Burning Glass Institute, more than one-third of job skills change every five years. That means students need to develop adaptability, confidence, and digital fluency to remain competitive. To keep pace, career planning during college becomes essential, not something left until senior year. The group of experts encouraged families to ask colleges about published career outcomes, employer engagement, and alumni involvement.
Even in institutions with robust career services, students can benefit from the one-on-one support a coach provides. As a career coach, I help students:
- Interpret their Birkman profile to understand their strengths and preferences
- Identify job families that align with their motivational drivers
- Build resumes and networks that reflect who they are and what they value
- Reflect on internships and job shadowing experiences to gain clarity and direction
The Takeaway
Today’s career paths are rarely linear. But with expert guidance from a career coach and the right tools, students can make confident, informed decisions about their future. By approaching the college-to-career transition strategically, they can avoid settling for just any job and instead pursue roles where they’ll truly thrive.
At Career Upside, career fulfillment and advice start long before graduation. It begins the moment students start understanding themselves and making choices that reflect who they truly are.
What Should You Do Next?
If you are a high school or college student seeking direction or unsure about your career path, give us a call. Career Upside offers career coaching and the Birkman Method to help you gain insight into your behavior and needs, enabling you to find a job, a boss, a company, and a culture that aligns with your needs. Schedule your consultation today.
