Essay Example on Choose Wisely: The Right Course for College Success

Choosing the right course to study at college will determine what career path a student will take which means that such decisions should not be made lightly without thinking about it. This process is a particularly difficult and delicate thing to do since these young adults are torn between what they love and the course that their parents want them to study. Studies have shown that one of the main reasons why students make bad choices is due to lack of proper counseling. This, therefore, generates the importance of a career advisor who would be vital in guiding students on how to choose the correct course to study at the college.

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Before choosing to start a business as an academic advisor I would need to find a market gap in the area of setting up the business. The business location should be in close proximity to learning institutions like high schools, colleges, and universities since the majority of my customers will come from those institutions. A career advisor venture will require excellent verbal and written skills which are helpful in interrogation and students involved in order to learn more on their interests and how to align the interests with the courses been offered at the colleges. My excellent knowledge on application of various social media platforms like Skype would come in handy when advising students that we are not close geographically. For an academic advisor to be able to impact and make a difference in a student's academic career one must understand the duties and responsibilities of an academic advisor. These duties may include advising the student about academic prerequisite requirement and selection of courses. Also, the student will also need to choose a marketable course since a course is only as good as its demand in the job market (McMahan, 2008).

I would require various advertisement platforms like the use of graphics appealing posters placed strategically on various on and off campus notice boards so as to create a customer base for what your business offers. Other means of advertisement would be through visiting various high schools to give career talks to students. I would create other adverts and share them on various social media platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp groups that usually involve the students I am targeting. In order to widen my market scope, teaming up with universities and colleges in my area of operation to allow me to organize career fairs to give talks to students before they join colleges would also be on my to-do list (Kuk, Cobb, &Forrest.2008). This would also help stand out from the rest of the competitors.

The major challenges encountered in this business venture is the tough task of maintaining a confidential relationship with clients since most customers are teenagers and their parents have a say in what decisions these young adults make (Gregory,2002). Also, the demands of an academic advisor are constantly changing. Thus one needs to seek personal help for themselves to ensure that this job does not become overwhelming.

The demand for an academic advisor job is ever there since every year students are graduating from high schools and they will require an academic advisor to influence their career choices thus the long term viability of this career is ever constant. Therefore, with the proper business setting, sustained clientele flow, and pocket-friendly and reasonable charges, the venture of a career advisor would really make a killing.

References

Gregory, C. W. (2002, February 1). How is academic advising different from teaching, personal counseling, and career counseling? Retrieved May 9, 2019, from https://dus.psu.edu/mentor/old/articles/020201cg.htm

Kuk, L., Cobb, B., & Forrest, C. S. (2008). Perceptions of Competencies of Entry-level Practitioners in Student Affairs. NASPA Journal, 44(4).

McMahan, A. B. (2008). Become an Advisor. Retrieved May 9, 2019, from https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Become-an-Advisor.aspx