Career Info for Families

Persuade your student to be proactive in setting and achieving career goals.

The earlier a career is chosen, the sooner your student will know if it is a good fit. Long-term planning will keep your student on the right track. Research will also increase awareness of job market demand, salary ranges, long-range opportunities, skills required, etc. It is also important for your student to have some idea of the next step after graduation. Have your student contact Career Services early so he or she can get the most help with preparation for employment and life after college.

Remind your student to make academics a high priority from the beginning.

While it is important to allow for an adjustment period, keep in mind that one semester with a low GPA can adversely affect your student's overall GPA. It is much easier to maintain a good GPA than it is to take multiple semesters to bring it back up.

Motivate your student to obtain marketable skills during college. The National Association of Colleges and Employers refer to these as Career Competencies. Employers want students to gain skills applicable to the workplace. These are just a few:

• Computer (programming, word processing, creating spreadsheets, working with databases)
• Quantitative (accounting, statistics, economics)
• Communication (writing, public speaking)
• Marketing (sales, publicity, fundraising)
• Scientific (lab, scientific research, and technical writing skills)
• Foreign Language (Spanish, French, German, etc.)
• Leadership (extra-curricular leadership, teamwork, time management, supervisory)

Career Competencies are also gained through clubs and organizations, volunteer opportunities, as well as summer jobs and internships. Help your student know Career Services is here to share advice and suggestions to have them make the most of their time while they are going to school. 

Support your student's involvement with clubs and organizations on campus.

Employers value participation, especially where your student has held leadership positions. It is more important to be in a few meaningful leadership roles than to be a member of several clubs and organizations. Leadership experiences will not only look great on a resume but will also give your student the opportunity to gain marketable skills. Community involvement through volunteerism is also valued by employers. Volunteer opportunities are posted online through DR 2.0 and students can indicate if they are interested in volunteering through their profile. 

Influence your student to gain work experience through Career Services’ experiential learning program. 

Students often don’t know if they will like a particular career until they try it out in a real-world setting. Through Career Services’ experiential learning program, students work at summer jobs or internship positions related to their major while gaining valuable on-the-job experience. Students may also receive better-than-average pay and qualify for academic credit.

Career Services is available to help all Montana Tech students with resumes, interviews, job search strategies, and the internship and job search process. Encourage your student to take advantage of all that Career Services has to offer.