Jeff Ollinger

Director, Talent Acquisition, Corporate and Campus , Sunlife

When coaching and advising students, it’s time to shift the focus from where and what they study to who they are and what they show interest in. Educators often assume students have picked their program because they have defined outcomes related to post-graduate education or employment they want to achieve. Employers often overemphasize a student’s alignment to academic programs and technical expertise and assume graduates want to work in fields directly relatable to their field of study.

However, most students choose their school and majors at age 17 with little real-world experience, and we have historically held them to education and career paths based on those early decisions.

Does this seem right? Did most of us know what we wanted to do when we were 17?

Let’s recognize the value of transferable skills and broader experiences and how those could lead to education and career paths that evolve over time.

In this session, we’ll explore ways to remove biases tied to schools, fields of study, and specific skills—biases that we may unknowingly hold and force upon students. We’ll discuss how to coach students into well-rounded graduates who balance academics with work experience, volunteerism, leadership roles, and who demonstrate strong communication and presence which can lead to most career paths.

Discover how to widen career pathways for students and explore why this doesn’t need to be a complicated process. Let’s relieve the pressure they feel, students shouldn’t have to be held to a decision they made when they were 17 for the rest of their life.

The pressures of being 17…

The pressures of being 17…

Event Info

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Advising and Career Services

Advising and Career Services

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