Career Development
Center
  Occidental College
 1600 Campus Road,
Coons 109
 Los Angeles, CA
 90041-3314

 Email: careers@oxy.edu
 Phone: 323.259.2623
 Fax: 323.341.4900

Welcome Occidental Family Members

Dear Family Members,

The Staff of the Career Development Center know that you are your student's greatest supporter, and we hope that the information on this site, and these pages in particular, will be helpful to you in your efforts to advise and coach your student in his or her career exploration.  We have outlined some key points to consider:

• Discuss the idea of having your student examine his/her skills, abilities and interests and to think creatively about how these could be applied.

• Encourage your student to research a variety of industries and occupational areas by networking with friends, family, teachers, and others to learn what people do, why it is or is not interesting, what skills are necessary to be successful, and so forth.

• Help your student plan summers, which include summer jobs/internships relevant to his/her career field.

We think of family members as our partners.  By encouraging, listening and providing moral support, you can help your student navigate the career development process.  It is important to remember that this process is developmental.  Each student progresses at his/her own pace and is ready for career decision-making at different times.  

From our experience, we find that family members who discuss career issues with their students and encourage them to actively use the Career Development Center throughout their Occidental experience are increasing the likelihood that their students will identify career options and gain valuable career-related experiences.  The result will be a smooth transition from Occidental College to graduate school or the work world.

Again welcome and we look forward to our partnership.

The Career Development Center Staff