There are days that it feels great to do my job and I know that I am making a difference. Today I was doing research into colleges on a client's behalf, specifically inquiring about the support at a particular school. After answering my questions, the head of Academic Services then asked me a series of his own questions about what students need and what a program should include if they were to develop one. What qualifications should professionals have? What skills should be targeted? I spent the next forty minutes describing the kind of skills students need, the qualifications of the professionals who would deliver those services and roughly how often a student might need that kind of support. By the end of our conversation, the head of Academic Services had outlined a plan for developing a pilot program based in part on my recommendations. I asked him to stay in touch because if the program becomes established, it would be a great model. Maybe in another phase of my career I will add program development to my services offered. I really enjoy helping students reach their goals one family at a time but perhaps I might also affect change on a larger scale.
