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Parent and Family Information

Parents, guardians, and family members are important partners with Â鶹´«Ã½ Career Advancement (NCA) and have an influential role in a students’ career development. While it’s important to empower your student to make their own decisions and take responsibility for their job search process you can help them by encouraging them to engage with the many great resources available at NCA. 

Encourage your child to visit NCA

When your son or daughter is feeling anxious about his/her future, show them the Meet with Us section of the website and say, "Please talk with an adviser at NCA or email NCA. They can help you."

NCA offers a full range of career development and job-search help, including:

Please note: Incoming Â鶹´«Ã½ students will gain access to NCA, including the ability to access Handshake and schedule appointments with career advisers and pre-graduate school advisors, once their first quarter has officially started.

Support career exploration, but settle into college life first

Many students use their first quarter to settle into college life. Winter and Spring quarters of their first year is the optimal time to start using career services. If you hear, "You only go there when you are a junior/senior," then it's time to reassure him/her that meeting with a career adviser can take place at any point—and should take place frequently—throughout a college career.

Challenge your student to become "occupationally Iiterate."

If your student seems unsure or about how to choose a career, or embarrassed that they are unsure what career they want to pursue, emphasize that not everyone knows what career they want to pursue upon arriving to college (even though it may feel that way from listening to their peers). Talk about your own career development, especially since you have a longer view of how career develops over time. You can also recommend that:

Emphasize the importance of experiential education

Having relevant experience in a competitive job market is critical. It is important to note that employers look for skills and experience, and experiential education comes in many forms, such as course projects, student organizations, and work study/part time jobs

Teach the value of networking

Introduce your student to people who have the careers/jobs that are of interest. Suggest your son or daughter contact as well as professionals in your personal and professional networks for information on careers and jobs. Also encourage your student to shadow NU alumni through the Â鶹´«Ã½ Externship program to increase awareness of interesting career fields, or allow your student to shadow you are work. 

Where can I find data about outcomes for Â鶹´«Ã½ students?

Our First Destination Survey contains the last four years of post-graduation survey data regarding jobs and graduate schools. It can be searched by major, academic school or college, industry, and international student information. 

What is Handshake?

 is our one-stop-shop online platform to meet your students’ career needs. Students can schedule appointments with our team, search for and apply to internships and jobs, view our events and career fairs, and access Â鶹´«Ã½-only resources and guides.  

When should my student start thinking about a career or graduate school?

Career exploration is not always a linear path and will differ for each person. Students who engage in career planning early feel more prepared and confident for the workforce or graduate school.  

Should my student get an internship after freshman year?

It is not essential to do an internship after the first year. However, it can be helpful for students to take a job, internship or research experience during the summer that enables them to explore career fields that they think might interest them but that they have not yet experienced. 

Does the choice of major determine career?

Many students enter college associating their choice of major with a specific career. However, many of the employers that recruit for entry-level positions are “major agnostic”, in that they are looking for a , rather than a specific major. The exception to this is highly technical careers such as engineering or some areas of computer science. 

What skills/characteristics do employers seek?

Ensuring that students are career-ready truly guides the practice of what we do. Each year, The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveys employers to .

How can I best support NCA?

Recruit at Â鶹´«Ã½ 

Â鶹´«Ã½ parents can also contribute by recruiting on campus or by posting positions for Â鶹´«Ã½ students and alumni on our job board We would be delighted to receive job descriptions from you or your organization. There is no charge to post a job to Handshake, which is accessible by all Â鶹´«Ã½ students and alumni/alumnae served by our office. 

To learn more about recruiting Â鶹´«Ã½ students as an employer, visit our Recruit at Â鶹´«Ã½ webpage

Support Â鶹´«Ã½ Career Advancement

NCA thanks you for your interest in supporting us through a donation! Your donation to Â鶹´«Ã½ Career Advancement allows students to further their career development as well as fully participate in experiential education such as: 

  • Summer Internship Grant Program 
  • Career Development Fund 
  • Career Treks 

To learn more about giving to NCA, please visit our Giving to Â鶹´«Ã½ webpage