Why Career Counseling?
A Largely Untapped Market Awaits

The Internet has revolutionized society. As we look at the "Generation Y" population (some 60 million people born between 1979 and 1994) it is more evident than ever that continually developing technology has begun to have a powerful impact on the ways individuals live their lives and the manner in which individuals interact with one another. As society and the people in it have adapted to these technological advances, so too have we begun to see changes to the ways in which the major institutions of our society function. "Higher education in general and distance education in particular are going through a number of changes as a result of advancements in computer technology and changes in the student profile" (Najmuddin Shaik, Ph.D), 2009.

The ReadyMinds Program is particularly effective in reaching out to this on-line community to provide career and academic guidance to the distance education learner. ReadyMinds provides a comprehensive online solution to support existing services, motivate participating individuals, and enhance the opportunities for future educational and eventual employment success by matching clients with National Certified Counselors (NCC) who have been trained to utilize distance career counseling methods to meet the needs of clients. In fact, ReadyMinds is the exclusive national training provider for counselors and coaches seeking professional credentials in the rapidly emerging distance counseling field. With counselors geographically dispersed throughout the United States no individual is out of reach. Still, ReadyMinds takes special care to match counselors who specialize in the unique needs of their clients (both school and the individual).

Secure, confidential, and adaptable, the ReadyMinds platform is also particularly efficient in providing its clients with the best service through a convenient and scalable model.

Barely half of college graduates follow a conscious career path. And if they were able to start over, two-thirds would seek more career development advice.
-- The Journal of College Student Development

72% of college freshmen cited that the most important reasons to go to college are: "to learn more about things that interest me" and "to get training for a specific career."
-- The Chronicle for Higher Education 2006

Finding the right job/career is still the number-one concern of college students today (83%).
-- The Student Monitor

Only 23% of American college students use the Internet for games and/or chat, while more than triple that number pursue academic or business-based research online.
-- Greenfield Online

Job Hunting/Career Search is ranked the third most important reason students use the Internet.
-- The Student Monitor

Only 54% of adults who attended or graduated from college believe they are presently utilizing their full occupational potential.
-- The Journal of College Student Development

Studies indicate that it is likely that many graduate students would benefit from career exploration and planning activities that emphasize a comprehensive self-evaluation of skills and values and an orientation to fundamental career decision-making principles.
-- Career Counseling of College Students, An Empirical Guide to Strategies That Work. Luzzo, Darrell Anthony

54% of current professionals feel they are not utilizing their skills in their current job and transfer jobs frequently. One in ten adults in the labor force reports needing help in making career plans and 39% would seek the advice of a career counselor.
-- NCDA Gallup Poll

Potential job seekers are starting to understand that they are responsible for their own job search and that they must start preparing as early as their first year in college. Students need to understand that the four-year career development process should be intertwined with the four-year academic process. Job applicants are most competitive when they have participated in credit or non-credit internships related to summer or part-time jobs or have sought volunteer experiences that validate their skills and interests.
-- collegerecruiter.com

Returning Adult and Graduate students require career-counseling services almost as frequently as undergraduates.
-- Career Counseling of College Students, An Empirical Guide to Strategies That Work. Luzzo, Darrell Anthony

College career counselors are trying to reach out to alumni to help new graduates find jobs, but are finding that more and more alumni are themselves seeking career services. "In the past we have seen alums who wanted to change careers, but now we're seeing alums who are unemployed, and these people have worked here in this area for major corporations - 13 years at Readers Digest, 14 years at Texaco."
-- The New York Times, 12/2/01

The hundreds of books, self-help guides, and "career resources" on the Internet provide, for the most part, only general information. There's little regard to personal focus.

Few parents reportedly regard themselves as qualified to provide career guidance and are generally receptive to career advisory services for their children.