Superfutures's Blog

Are guidance counselors in our high schools doing the job?

No, according to teens surveyed nationwide, as the New York Times reported.

In fact, 6 out of every 10 teens who went on to higher education gave their guidance counselors poor marks. And, half of teens said they felt like "just a face in the crowd."

What's the impact of this? Not good.

Did you know only 38 minutes* is spent directing our kids on their futures? In other words, figuring out what they want to do when they grow up?

Techno Teaching - the new trend in education. Teens now spend as much as 30 hours a week online.* The internet is a great resource that can enhance your teen's education, and some teachers are taking their teaching styles online to meet this trend. Sites like Edmodo act as a private micro-blogging platform built for teachers and student interaction. Modeled after other social networking sites, teens feel comfortable using it.

Career planning – parents and teens put it off until college is at the door. But that’s a big and costly mistake, especially in this new economy.

The result: our young people find themselves matched with the wrong job, costing them a lot of stress and unhappiness, and companies a whopping $44 Billion*.

Could a student be taking the wrong classes or too many? It happens. Sebastian, our graphic designer and a recent graduate is carrying $55,000 in student debt - $15,000 more than necessary... all because he took more classes than required to graduate. If you’re a transfer student, you’ll really want to watch out. But that’s not the only time it matters. Say you’re studying abroad or taking an internship across the country for credit -- you’ll want to be careful there, too.

Written by: Maryann Loprete 

 Imagine hearing from Arun Gandhi, the grandson of the great Mahatma Gandhi.

It was truly a unique experience for students of the SuperFutures Youth Leadership & Social Entrepreneurship Program, who, aside from Gandhi, heard from an Olympic Gold Medalist who competed despite the loss of one leg and a Harvard negotiations expert. 

"My daughter needs to learn personal finance," Laurel, a mom of a teenage daughter, told me this morning. "Where can she go?"

I sure didn't expect that I would be talking money at 7am, just as I was about to start the pilates class Laurel teaches.

Laurel had seen the latest article on SuperFutures and it hit her: "The best thing I can teach my daughter is how a mortgage works, how to invest, how to make her money go further."

If students are going to drive the future of America -- and we know they are -- then don't we need to give them the practical skills so they can succeed?

So, you interviewed for a position you wanted, the interview went great, and you were totally qualified, but you didn't get the job. Why?

References! These days, in times of economic disarray, executives are being scrutinized more and more for each decision they make, with a particular emphasis on who and who they do not hire.