HIGH SCHOOL

Most teenagers cannot list their best abilities or preferred occupations due to limited awareness of inborn talents or knowledge of the workplace

High schoolers are unrealistic about educational/training requirements for jobs titles

High school guidance counselors admit to spending only 10% of their time on career matters due to high caseload of +500 students; so teens rarely acquire essential planning skills

Students respond well to personalized college/career advice since they grew up with athletic coaches, music teachers, dance/theater instructors and SAT/ACT tutors

Many college-bound individuals select a campus without matching academic majors to their strengths (which can result in extended time-in-school and costly fees associated with a transfer)

COLLEGE

80% of college freshman are uncertain about an academic major

65% of undergraduates change majors 2-3 times (which extends class time and debt)

Only 50% of students who begin college actually graduate (often due to lack of direction)

Average tuition/room-n-board expenses are $15,500 for state university and $32,000 for private institution (with annual increase of 10% — a 78% spike in past 20 years)

Majority of collegians now take 5-years to earn bachelor’s degree but families usually budget for 4 years

Tuition/living/travel expenses for 5-years are $80,000 for state university and $175,000 for an elite college

Less than 10% of jobs are found via internet job boards but most students mistakenly rely on this over-rated technique

Traditional resumes are no longer effective since a job-hunter must now send 500 resumes to schedule one interview

70% of job leads are generated from the “hidden job market” of personal contacts but few collegians understand how to tap influential professionals (who can refer them to hiring managers)

Every year there is a 20-25% over-supply of graduates for entry-level jobs — which makes it extremely competitive to secure a quality position

AFTER COLLEGE

60% of university alumni are still unclear about career choice after leaving campus

Average post-college debt is $20,000 per person

33% of graduates leave their first employer within three years (which reflects the current trend of life shopping — or “browsing” for the perfect job)

A typical young person has eight jobs by age 30; this trial-n-error habit causes anxiety, lost income and crippling debt

75% of Americans say they are disengaged from their work; 83% wish they had more of what matters in life

Only 20% of Americans say they are passionate about their job

Young adults claim to feel the most distress and least loyalty to their employer

“30 is the new 20” for life decisions so individuals take longer to settle into a career

A popular TV show among 20-Somethings is “The Office” -- which mocks cubicle workers stuck in dead-end jobs

Recent books/songs have chronicled the so-called “quarter-life crisis”