How to persuade students that there’s more to work than salary
Students feel under pressure to decide on their careers at an increasingly early age and are gravitating towards higher-paid careers, often at the cost of their own passions and interests. How can counsellors help combat this trend?
Helen Cheung
As college counsellors, we are seeing a tendency among our students to decide on their career paths earlier and earlier. This pressure to map out one’s future while still in high school or in the early stages of college is a significant challenge facing the college counselling profession today.
As someone who has worked in university career services and high school college counselling, I have observed this trend unfold over the past decade. Before joining my current high school, I spent several years as a career counsellor at a private university, where I witnessed first-hand the growing emphasis on lucrative, prestigious jobs, even among the most socially minded and intellectually curious students.
Career goals: what do students really want?
The recent New York Times article “What do students at elite colleges really want?” highlights this growing phenomenon. It describes how even at the most prestigious universities, the majority of students are seeking jobs in high-paying fields such as finance and consulting, often abandoning their original passions and dreams.
One Harvard University student told the reporter that he felt immense pressure to secure a lucrative job that could justify his family’s $400,000 investment in his Ivy League education. Another student remarked that many of his peers simply want to sell out and make a lot of money, even if that meant sacrificing more meaningful work.
This trend reflects a broader cultural shift in which young people feel an intense pressure to professionalise and decide on their careers at an earlier and earlier age. The New York Times article notes that more than 50 per cent of graduates from elite universities are entering what students call “sell-out jobs”, including the tech sector. Some students feel that if they are not pursuing a career in finance, consulting or tech, they are doing something wrong.
Beyond the almighty buck
As college counsellors, we need to understand the complex factors driving this trend, and to develop strategies to help students explore their interests and career options in a more holistic and measured way.
First, we must acknowledge the very real financial pressures that many students and families are facing. With astronomical housing costs, high tuition fees and growing inequality, the prospect of a lucrative job straight out of college is understandably alluring. We should empathise with these concerns, while also challenging the narrow focus on maximising earning potential.
Second, we can work to expand students’ understanding of diverse career paths and reframe the definition of a meaningful job. Too often, students equate prestige and high salary with fulfilment, when in reality there are myriad ways to find purpose and make a positive impact. By exposing students to a wide range of career options, from public service to entrepreneurship to the arts, we can help to broaden their horizons.
To learn more about this trend and develop effective strategies, college counsellors should seek out professional development opportunities, such as attending conferences, workshops or webinars focused on the shifting career aspirations of Gen Z students.
We can also collaborate with career services professionals at university level, to better understand the recruitment patterns and job placement data of our graduates. Additionally, engaging with parents and guardians to understand their financial concerns and expectations can provide valuable insight into this complex issue.
Discovering their passions and interests
At my high school, we have implemented several innovative programmes to encourage career exploration at a more gradual and appropriate pace. Our internship programme matches juniors (Year 12) with two-week job-shadowing experiences, to give them a taste of different fields.
We also host an experiential career day, during which students can participate in hands-on workshops and simulations to get a deeper understanding of various professions.
These types of immersive experiences, combined with one-to-one counselling, can empower students to make more informed and introspective decisions about their futures. Rather than feeling the pressure to lock in a career path before they’ve even begun college, students can gradually discover their passions and interests at a pace that allows for meaningful exploration.
As college counsellors, we must remain vigilant about this trend towards early professionalisation, and work to create a culture where students feel empowered to chart their own unique paths. By helping them to explore a diverse range of options and to redefine success beyond simply financial gain, we can support them in finding fulfilling work that aligns with their values and aspirations.