Career Coaching for Students with CoreMatch AI™ is the premier student career guidance program valued by students, parents, career counselors - AND administrators and academic guidance counselors in high schools and colleges.
Meet Emma!
Career Coaching for High School Students
Career Coaching for Students with CoreMatch AI™ is the only program offering students the opportunity to complete the same assessments used by employers in the hiring process to identify high-potential career matches. Because of the higher validation and reliability standards required in the employer hiring process, our assessments carry an entirely higher level of quality, validity and reliability compared to assessments developed to serve the academic market. We've also worked directly with TTI Success Insights, a global leader in talent assessments, to develop a superior student talent-to-career report that you won't find anywhere else. The student receives an insightful, easy-to-read, sensible comprehensive report about their talents.
Why is career coaching important for students?
Career coaching can help the student gain greater self-awareness of their talents, interests, values and passions to more effectively determine which careers and jobs to consider, which major(s) or vocational trade to consider, which classes to take, which university to consider and which internships to apply for, in order to establish a strategy that leads to the right career for personal success and satisfaction.
A student career guidance system that promotes student engagement.
We offer a best-in-class system that ensures student ownership of the career exploration and planning process and academic success. The greater the clarity about the future, the greater the engagement in achieving academic requirements to get there.
The student guidebook provides an easy-to-follow step-by-step process for student, parent and facilitator that promotes self-reflection and career exploration - guiding the student through the entire career and education exploratory journey.
In this time of "all online" solutions, we believe something critical is missing: the ability to touch and use valuable content for an extended period beyond the actual duration of this program. Students and parents alike consistently state they will keep and use the student guidebook and assessment report for many years.
Online Bonus: A meta site of curated information resources.
As part of the program, students have access to Student Resource Central™, another key part of our total quality strategy. This one-stop online resource offers vetted quality information, career and post-secondary research tools and content:
• 30 high-quality marketing-free sites for Career Research
• 14 high-quality, marketing-free educational institution research sites that are effective at matching a students different career interests to "best fit" educational options
• 19 links to support the program's exercises, motivate the student, provide useful tips and techniques for the entire journey, find financial aid and scholarships and prepare for the ACT and SAT tests.
Virtual or Onsite Program Delivery
Career Coaching for Students with CoreMatch AI™ can be customized and delivered in a classroom or workshop format. Our one-on-one family option is very popular - the student-parent family format is delivered in a convenient virtual setting. We've delivered the program to thousands of individual families across the United States, Europe and China in the comfort and privacy of their own home using the latest in virtual meeting technology (we were delivering virtually way before the pandemic made Zoom a household word).
What’s the challenge for students?
Students struggle choosing a career because they lack clarity about their talents and today's career options. In fact, the more ‘gifted’ a student is, the more anxiety they may experience when it comes to evaluating career interests.
To be sure, academics is important. However, businesses are demanding not only technically or academically qualified hires, they are measuring candidates for job-talent alignment (check out employer assessments at The Nielson Group).
Empowering students with a career road map that leads them to satisfying careers exponentially improves their ability to be successful, reduces the odds of changing majors, avoids extending post-secondary education and saves parents unnecessary expenses. A lack of clarity of purpose has been established as a key component to decline in emotional health, self-confidence and engagement.
High schools (and colleges) are not equipped to provide the level of career coaching support that students need. Many students receive false or damaging social feedback, including feedback from teachers and counselors when it comes to career guidance. Many college career centers are typically staffed with part time graduate students who lack depth and knowledge necessary to provide competent career coaching.
A Coaching Focus
The Career Coaching for Students with CoreMatch AI® virtual coaching enables students to develop greater self-awareness of their talents, understand how their talents match to different careers and set a plan of action for pursuing desired careers.
Coaching empowers students to explore their gifts, passions, talents and career options so they can start building their future today, establishing a foundation for long-term success and career satisfaction.
“This program is an exercise in how to make big decisions.”
The bottom line is that the career assessment, step-by-step guidebook, online resources and coaching integrate beautifully to build self-esteem and decision-making skills.
What this program is not
This program will not ‘tell’ the student what single career is best for them. Human characteristics or talent is much too complex to suggest only one career. Students are guided through a proven self-directed discovery process where they identify high-potential options of interest and ultimately make decisions using a learning mindset. Our CoreMatch AI technology offers an incredible in-depth career exploration roadmap.
Who should receive this program?
- Students entering 9th grade through seniors
- College students needing clarity about their career direction
Are parents are included?
Yes! Parents are critical partners to a teen's future. We encourage parents of high school students to participate.
For Families - When and where?
Career Coaching for Students with CoreMatch AI® - a personalized virtual program that serves your schedule. We offer daytime, evening and Saturday morning sessions. You'll have access to your coach's calendar for scheduling. We'll schedule the sessions after you register.
Notable program features
Workplace caliber assessments – The talent assessments used for this workshop are the same used by companies to evaluate job match of applicants.
- Why this is important: assessments used in the workplace must adhere to very high validity and reliability standards, unlike assessments used by many high schools and colleges.
Easy, insightful, engaging step-by-step career coaching strategies – The agenda for the one-on-one or workshop offering integrates with the guidebook in a manner that empowers and engages every student.
- Why this is important: Most student career coaching programs barely scratch the surface of what the student needs and many miss the mark altogether.
Workshop intensive and ongoing coaching – Carl Nielson has delivered this program to hundreds of students as a one-on-one offering and workshop.
- Why is this important: Our one-on-one or workshop intensive provide high impact and an economical solution.
Planning for continued education and career – Regardless of a student’s interest in post-secondary vocational or college-based education, this program provides students with a strategy for researching and planning next steps.
- Why is this important: Understanding career interests and exploring options as early as high school empowers and informs students. This must come before development of a post-secondary educational strategy. Educational strategy comes before choosing a college, major or vocational training curriculum.
Nationwide program with consistently strong positive feedback from parents and students – Located in the Dallas area, Carl has been delivering this program in a one-on-one and workshop setting for over ten years to clients in the United States and internationally.
- Why is this important: Parents of students who attended the program have been the strongest champions and source of referrals. Students consistently state the program was “extremely beneficial”.
Partnerships in the delivery of this program – The Career Coaching for Students program has been delivered under contract to University of Texas College of Communications, Dallas Boys & Girls Clubs and local private and pubic ISDs in the north Texas area since 2006.
- Why is this important: The Career Coaching for Students program has been vetted against Texas’ TEKS requirements. As one large ISD senior ISD executive responsible for student career development program stated, “This program is packed with TEKS satisfiers. We’ve never come close to offering something like this.”
Saves families $$ - Based on well-documented statistics, the average college student changes majors. On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career.
Normalizing the Norm of Changing College Majors - The University of Tulsa
Why is this important: Factors that lead to changing college majors are well documented but aren’t being addressed adequately or timely. Reasons for changing majors include:
- Change in academic interests: Discovering new passions or losing interest in a previous major.
- Change in career goals: Realizing a different path aligns better with desired career outcomes.
- Academic performance: Struggling in a particular major might lead to a change.
- Personal reasons: Life events or personal growth can influence major choices.
According to the College Board, research from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows:
- 75% of students change their major at least once.
- About 30% of undergraduates who declared a major changed it at least once within 3 years.
- About 10% of students changed majors more than once.
- These statistics indicate that changing majors is quite common, and students often explore different academic paths before settling on a final major.
While traditionally referred to as a "four-year" degree, the average time to complete a bachelor's degree has increased in recent years.
- Current Trend: Many students now take five to six years to graduate.
- The 4-year myth: Why longer times to graduate matters for student debt - Earnest
Historically: The standard was four years, or eight semesters.
Several factors contribute to this increase:
- Part-time Enrollment: More students work while attending college, slowing progress.
- Changing Majors: Exploring different academic paths can extend graduation time.
- Financial Constraints: Students may need to take breaks due to financial reasons.
Time and Money: Why Students Take a Break - Higher Education Today
Personal Challenges: Life events can impact academic progress, National Library of Medicine
The "You Inc." Student Journey and Module Architecture
The high school Discovery Journey is divided into five primary modules, each designed to transform the student's mindset from a passive learner to a proactive career architect.
Core Strategic Objective and Key Action Items
Module | Core Strategic Objective | Key Action Items |
|---|---|---|
Module 1: Self-Awareness | Cinematic debrief of the TTI Talent Insights report. | Validation of behavioral (DISC) and motivational statements. |
Module 2: Career Exploration Lab | Market research using a digital Venn diagram and CoreMatch AI. | Research high-potential career matches and salary outlooks. |
Module 3: Social Capital | Simulating a "Personal Board of Advisors" and expanded network to learn more about specific careers. | Step-by-step guidance for professional interviews and networking. |
Module 4: Strategic Roadmap | Educational strategy and planning. | Drafting year-by-year plans for major, choosing post-secondary education, GPA maximization and SAT/ACT. |
Module 5: Life Skills Awareness and Development | Understand and focus on 12 key skills for success in work and life | Learn and apply 12 key skills. |
Life Skills for Students™
A critical value-add of the Success Discoveries program is its focus on 12 essential soft skills, delivered as self-directed mini-lessons. In the online video series, these skills will be transformed into gamified challenges that students must complete to earn "Success Ahead" badges. These competencies are the "accelerators" that provide students with a competitive advantage, described as going from 211° to 212° - the extra degree that turns water into steam.
The 12 skills are designed to address Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and well-being, focusing on the "whole student" to ensure academic engagement and personal satisfaction.
Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
|---|---|---|
Continuous Learning: The drive to adapt to new information, essential in an AI-driven job market. | Persistence: Overcoming obstacles and challenges without retreating. | Project and Goal Focus: Maintaining concentration on long-term objectives despite distractions. |
Flexibility: Learning to navigate uncertain situations and try again after mistakes. | Proactive Thinking: Anticipating future challenges and planning mitigation. | Self-Management: Understanding one’s own wiring and managing emotional intelligence. |
Initiative: The self-starting ability to pursue goals without external pressure. | Planning and Organizing: Managing resources and time effectively. | Goal Orientation: Setting positive, realistic, and measurable goals. |
Personal Accountability: Taking responsibility for actions and results. | Problem Solving: Constructive and ethical approaches to resolving complex dilemmas. | Decision Making: A structured 10-step process involving problem definition, information gathering, and outcome measurement. |
For a high school freshman, the roadmap focuses on foundational alignment and establishing a meeting schedule with a counselor or mentor every two months. By the senior year, the focus shifts to execution: applying via the Common App and navigating the FAFSA process. This longitudinal tracking is critical, as it ensures the year-to-year relevance for the student over a four-year period, significantly increasing the lifetime value (LTV) of the student.
How we do it...
Step 1: Assessment administration - all online in the comfort of your home.
Step 2: Ship the talent assessment reports, program guidebook and customized CoreMatch AI talent-to-career guide to you.
Step 3: Conduct a minimum of 6 virtual coaching sessions, one hour each to ensure the student completes as much of the program as possible within 6 months of purchase.
Step 4: We work between sessions to produce customized materials such as a career mind map and other analysis unique to the student's talents and interests.
Additional ongoing coaching time can be purchased at any point in the future.
What do college students have to say about the career assessment and career coaching workshop?
A condensed customized private-labeled program focused on talent-to-career was developed and delivered for The University of Texas Moody College of Communications. Here is what students had to say afterward.
[This program] motivates me to take more control of my career goals. It also made me recognize interest in certain career paths that I haven't considered before. Overall, it was an insightful experience that answered a lot of questions that I didn't even know I had. This was great!
High School Student
This workshop was amazing and insightful. I struggle knowing myself and so having the time to contemplate why and how I do things was SO beneficial. It also revealed to me what areas I can improve in and how to utilize my strengths. I'm now much clearer on my career direction.
High School Student
I think the assessment is a great way to gain a better understanding about yourself. You are an expert on yourself as a whole, and sometimes that gets in the way of seeing the unique pieces you have to offer. The career guidance was the best I've received and I now have a roadmap. Questions still need to be looked at but I am in a much better place.
High School Student
I think this was a great opportunity that allows for students to finally feel like they have a sense of who they are and who they could become. I feel like a big cloud has been lifted.
High School Student
It was really in depth and I really understand my strengths/weaknesses and characteristics that shape my behavior. It was also really accurate and I can apply it to my personal life as well as my work/academic life and career.
High School Student
I believe that it is helpful to gauge and understand your own thinking better when exploring careers, majors and applying and looking for the right job to fit you.
College Student
It goes into depth about your strengths and weaknesses, qualities you need to know when it comes to applying it to working or succeeding in school. The [CoreMatch AI talent-to-career guide] was incredible. I never got anything like it in high school.
Freshman College Student
It helped gain insight on not only what I do but WHY. I have 4 motivators above the baseline and was so relieved to know why I always found difficulty in choosing what I want to do because I have many interests (I want to do it all). Now i know what to focus on!
Sophomore College Student
I found it very helpful and insightful! It also helped with my confidence and made me feel a little less alone in the stress that a job search process can bring.
Senior College Student
I found it super interesting to discover more about myself and what motivates me. The workshop reaffirmed the direction I’ve started going in so that now I feel confident pursuing my interests and secure in my abilities. I wish this had been offered in high school. I wouldn't have stressed so much.
College Student
I think its very useful especially for students to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie so they can find how to leverage that in a career.
College Student
It was a very insightful experience where both Julie and Carl explained the results of our assessment. A lot of information is included in both the workbook and the assessment. The assessment also made it easier to articulate my work style.
Freshman College Student
About the Creator of the Career Coaching for Students Program
Starting in 2005, Carl Nielson, a career coach and executive development coach with a corporate organizational development/human resource management background, was consistently asked by his friends and clients to "coach their kids" who were either in high school or college. These families had experienced the "online solutions" that schools were offering. They had also experienced the lack of counselor expertise and time to provide effective career guidance.
These requests motivated Carl to more deeply investigate what was being offered. That led to the discovery that the programs being offered by schools and colleges had serious flaws starting with the assessments they were using. "We might not be able to solve the time/cost challenge faced by most schools for the simple fact there was no priority to change the status quo, but we can certainly create a program that works better than what is currently being provided to students." stated Carl back when he was investigating the state of the career guidance industry. As of 2023, those same observations about the online solutions hasn't changed. "Too many families were asking for assistance for their kids for me to ignore the issues. My own kids were entering that key age where career exploration was becoming critical. So I took it on. Head on."
Today, Career Coaching for Students is the result of several years of development, research and experience in delivering the program. Many colleges are now recognizing their career guidance program is woefully deficient.
Ready to Purchase Career Coaching for High School Students with CoreMatch AI?
For High School Students
Who is this for?
Incoming high school freshman to graduating HS seniors.
What are the benefits for a freshman vs a senior?
For freshman HS students, having clarity about self and high-interest career options enables them to see how different curriculum paths will set them up for success after high school.
For HS seniors, choosing the next step after high school can be daunting. For those that know and have confidence about exactly what they want to do next, the big decisions that have to be made aren't so difficult. For everyone else (about 95% of graduating HS seniors), making big decisions like what college major to choose and what university to apply to hinges on clarity about career interests.
