Linda Roth, Career Counselor at Thornton Academy

Today’s speaker was Linda Roth, Career Counselor at Thornton Academy.  Linda came to the club today to speak with us about the School2Work program offered at TA.  Linda has been in this role for the past 10 years and has some great stories to tell. 

 

The program was initially started in 2006 as “part time” and has grown to a full time program.  A couple of years into the program, Linda realized there was a large contingency of students being funneled into 4 year colleges & they didn’t really belong there.  They tended to drink a lot, had average debt of $23k, had a huge sense of failure and dropped out after only a few semesters.

 

There was a study done at Harvard in 2009 called “Pathways to Prosperity”.  It said that only 30% of students going to college actually finished and only 30% of jobs would require a 4 year degree.

 

The “old thinking” is that you need a 4 year degree to succeed.  There needed to be a concrete plan to help these kids become successful in their careers.  A “Career Counselor” is different than a “Guidance Counselor”.  There is typically 1 Guidance Counselor for 500 students.  Career planning should start at the middle school level.  Linda said that kids tend to know what they are good at.  There is a software that has a “career aspect” (NAVIANCE) that is used.

School2Work is a TA initiative designed to immerse high school students in the career planning process, which identifies a student’s interests, aptitudes, and work preferences, matches them with possible careers, and generates a relevant list of colleges, technical schools, or certificate programs.  Together with a student’s guidance counselor, the career counselor engages a student in a career planning conversation.  This program provides opportunities for students to attend industry events that broaden exposure to the field or career path they may be exploring.  These events provide exciting opportunities for students to leave the traditional classroom and take part in real-world, hands-on learning experiences.

If you would like more information on this terrific program or would like to see how you can take part, please contact Linda Roth at linda.roth@thorntonacademy.org.

 

Thank you Linda for a very informative presentation!