Who Do You Think You Are?: Three Crucial Conversations for Coaching Teens to College and Career Success - Hardcover

by Stephen M. Smith (Author), Shaun Fanning (Author)

Give your kids their greatest chance at success

Who Do You Think You Are? helps parents, school counselors, and administrators get teens thinking about--and interested in--their future careers. Success in college and beyond relies on thorough prior preparation; by identifying interests and passions early on, young people are better able to plan for the career they want by mapping out the academic path to support it. This book shows you how to guide teens along on this journey, and how to stick with them until they reach the goals they've set. From helping them discover just what it is they're interested in, to finding the institution that will help them flourish and setting out a clear "plan of attack," this book provides invaluable insight from an expert in student success.

No one expects every student to have a definitive life plan by high school graduation, but having some idea of direction is critical. Nearly 3.3 million students will graduate high school this year, and most will head straight to college--but just 20 percent of those who pursue an associate's degree complete within four years, and only 60 percent of those who pursue a bachelor's degree complete within six years. Even those who earn a degree may struggle to move from school to work. Those who do succeed have done so because they've planned their work and worked their plans. This book shows you how to help your child to be one of the success stories.

• Map out an academic plan to support each kid's field of interest
• Identify the best-fit institution to get them where they want to be
• Balance support and independence throughout your teen's journey
• Help your child be prepared for college so they can succeed far beyond

Adults know that success in life comes from plenty of hard work and thorough preparation--but for kids in middle and high school, that lesson is just now beginning to hit home. Who Do You Think You Are? helps you guide them through the transition successfully, so they can come out the other side exactly where they want to be.

Front Jacket

It's not easy to get teenagers thinking about a career, especially when our schools are primarily focused on getting to the next rung in the education system. This book details an easy-to-follow road map for the conversations families, school counselors, and mentors need to have to help young people to make informed choices about careers that will allow them to excel. This versatile guidebook takes you where you need to go with intuitive tools for orchestrating discussions and unearthing the right options for each child. Keep this resource at your fingertips to help the teenagers you care about to:

• Make the best education choices to achieve their career goals, including on-the-job training, certification, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, and beyond
• Design a concrete action plan to find a rewarding career based on three introspective questions
• "Connect learning to life" in order to see how school empowers them to earn a living working in a chosen career

Help the teenagers in your life find success in theirs with Who Do You Think You Are?

Back Jacket

It's not easy to get teenagers thinking about a career, especially when our schools are primarily focused on getting to the next rung in the education system. This book details an easy-to-follow road map for the conversations families, school counselors, and mentors need to have to help young people to make informed choices about careers that will allow them to excel. This versatile guidebook takes you where you need to go with intuitive tools for orchestrating discussions and unearthing the right options for each child. Keep this resource at your fingertips to help the teenagers you care about to:

• Make the best education choices to achieve their career goals, including on-the-job training, certification, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, and beyond
• Design a concrete action plan to find a rewarding career based on three introspective questions
• "Connect learning to life" in order to see how school empowers them to earn a living working in a chosen career

Help the teenagers in your life find success in theirs with Who Do You Think You Are?

Author Biography

STEPHEN M. SMITH is CEO of Intellispark, an education technology company. He is vice chair of the board of College Possible, a member of the board of the National College Access Network, and a cofounder of Naviance. He previously served as president and chief product officer at Hobsons, where he focused on helping students achieve college and career readiness and success.

SHAUN FANNING is chief product officer at Intellispark and a cofounder of Naviance. He previously served as vice president of research and development at Hobsons, where he led new product initiatives focused on improving student success. Earlier in his career, he held a variety of roles in business analysis, finance, technology, marketing, and product management at AT&T and The Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters).