I concluded the 6 episode release by speaking with Dr. Mike McDonald, superintendent of my high school alma mater, Walton Central School! Mike began as the superintendent of WCS in the summer of 2020. Now, I don’t want to give anything away. But you’ll hear at the top of the interview how I met Mike, and I know you’ll see why I asked him to be a guest on the show. I’m so happy that he’s taking care of my alma matter. During the episode, you will hear Mike talk about different ways we can encourage career exploration right from a young age, how to connect the student career pathways with what is going on in classrooms, and how we can work with our students to enhance their preparation for college.

Episode Timeline:

[01:06] Introducing Mike
[02:24] Going back to the fall of 1994
[05:36] Mike’s role in helping parents and students in getting college and career ready.
[07:15] Career exploration and traditional college preparation process.
[09:42] Best practice to move the career exploration at age-appropriate levels down through the elementary schools.
[12:53] Why students’ college and career preparations should start at an early age.
[16:36] Getting the kids connected to career pathways.
[19:50] Tools to connect students with resources outside their region.
[21:30] Advice to students who have not found their interests yet.
[24:21] Differences between being career-ready and being college-ready.
[27:31] Mike’s advice for the higher education system
[33:44] Justin’s 5 takeaways from the episode

Five things I learned from my talk with Mike!

1. Encourage career exploration early on by connecting what your student is already doing in the classroom with related careers. Example: if your student is responsible for gathering/delivering mail for the classroom, start to show them different career options that are similar by identifying people that are in these roles currently like a manager or postal worker. You can also encourage shadowing, tours, internships, even using surveys and online programs like Career Zone. The goal is to help your student identify pathways that align with their interests. Note, I am not affiliated, nor do I endorse Career Zone and only mention it by name as Mike mentioned using it at his school.
2. Work with your student to enhance their preparation for college throughout their educational journey. As they get closer to applying for education after high school, I encourage you and your student to attend College Career Nights, College Financial Planning/Aid Nights, and any and all programs your school provides.
3. There’s always a way and always a pathway for your student to achieve career goals.
4. Being college ready is being career ready. College or education after high school isn’t a culmination of what is learned during high school. It is part of the student’s career trajectory and pathway.
5. Ask questions while exploring colleges with career goals in mind, do not make assumptions. Does the program align with the recognized professional associations in the student’s goal field? Will the program get your student to their career goal after successful completion, or will there be additional steps they need to take after completing the program?

Resources:

Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/

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