Support Your Student’s Summer Success: Tips from the Career Center

4 March 2024
Caitlin Sackrison, Program Director for Career Foundations
Caitlin Sackrison,
Program Director for Career Foundations

When the Spring Term comes to a close and Summer begins, many students find themselves busy with a summer internship, part-time job, research opportunity, or another activity that occupies their time. For many students, landing a summer opportunity can be difficult and overwhelming, especially when they are balancing schoolwork, activities, and life in college. We know as parents and guardians, you may want to help your student locate and secure a summer opportunity, so here are some helpful tips as you talk to your student about their summer plans:

  1. Listen then React 

Most students at Carleton are hearing from friends and peers about their summer plans, and it can be distressing, making many feel like they are behind on applying to opportunities when they may not be. Take a second to listen to your student’s concerns, let them voice what they are excited about and worried about, and then react. For many, your student coming to you might be the first chance they can have a candid conversation about how they are feeling. You can create a safe space for them to feel ready to talk and figure out how to move forward with planning their summer. 

  1. Consider what and who you know that can help

We highly encourage you to recommend your student to visit us at the Career Center. Our trained staff is excited to help students navigate their interests and career paths, so encourage them to stop by our office to work with our Student Career Advisors (SCAs) or schedule an appointment with a Career Coach on Handshake

We also encourage you to consider who you might have in your inner network of family and friends who might know of opportunities that your student might be interested in. Whether that translates into an internship, shadowing opportunity, or an informative conversation, networking and learning from someone with professional experience can be incredibly helpful for college students as they navigate their future career aspirations. Information is power, and you might have a community of people who are ready to share valuable information with your student.

  1. Recognize the value of all summer opportunities 

While many students aim for prestigious internships or research opportunities, we urge students to see the value in all summer opportunities. While these coveted roles can be résumé boosters, so can part-time summer jobs where a student learns professional skills. Students can visit the Career Center virtually or in person over the summer, or early in the Fall Term, to talk about how they can translate any of their summer opportunities into points on their résumé.

  1. Finding out what you don’t like can be just as useful as what you do like 

When students come back to campus in the Fall, we often hear many lamenting that their summer opportunity made them realize they do not want to pursue “X, Y, Z” career because of one reason or another. While this might seem like the summer was not worthwhile, we at the Career Center find these moments incredibly helpful and insightful. The fantastic thing about summer opportunities is they can help students realize what they like and dislike about certain careers and tasks, helping them narrow down their search for future roles. So, if your student is happy or frustrated with their summer opportunity, encourage them to see both viewpoints as useful as they move forward on their distinct career path.