BY PATRICIA YOCZIS
Correspondent
Shelley Ladin (l), Rhoda Geller College-bound students and their parents often face a myriad of questions and decisions. To assist them in answering those questions and making decisions, College Career Coach was founded and offers its services to facilitate the entire college and career experience.
“Often students and parents do not know the right questions to ask or how to find the appropriate answers when seeking a college education for their children,” said Shelley Ladin, of Manalapan, co-founder of College Career Coach. “We offer a concrete plan for a college education that leads to an enjoyable career and a financially secure future.”
Ladin, the president of Contemporary Careers, a staffing and coaching company for professionals, said College Career Coach was started in 2006 to specialize in coaching college students and emerging professionals.
“When I was vice president in human resources for Chase Manhattan Bank, I recognized that many of the applicants were not thoroughly prepared to enter the corporate world,” Ladin said. “They had no idea how to get a job or how their degrees offered them many different opportunities. Through our services, we try to prepare students for the responsibilities and rewards that await them.”
She said the preparation includes three or four coaching sessions a month depending on the student’s needs, as well as e-mails and phone calls as required. Assessments that are taken online and geared to students are an important facet of the firm’s coaching plan.
“Assessments reveal a student’s natural abilities,” said Ladin, who is a certified assessment coach. “Strengths and obstacles are discovered. A balance then can be created between what a student likes and what comes easily and naturally for the student.”
Rhoda Geller, of Marlboro, College Career Coach co-founder with Ladin, has 16 years of experience as an educational advocate, tutor and coach.
“In my work as an educational advocate I helped students gain admission into appropriate schools and advised majors suited for them,” said Geller, who has a master’s degree in mathematics from Brooklyn College and is a New York certified math teacher. “As a tutor, I prepared students for standardized tests required for college admission.”
Now, she said, as a parent of two sons, Lee, a graduate of the State University of New York, and Daniel, a student at Penn State University, she brings her own personal experience and coaching skills to the company.
“College Career Coach goes beyond high school and college guidance programs,” Geller said. “We offer personalized coaching to students, always including parents. Our goal is to point students in the direction that is right for them.”
She said referrals of satisfied students are the main source of the company’s clients. Some students have been enrolled in local schools, including Marlboro and Manalapan high schools and St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel.
“After learning about our company, people say they wish there was something like this when they went to college,” said Geller.
A free introductory College Career Coach workshop is scheduled to be held at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan, at 7:30 p.m. May 31. For more information go to www.collegecareercoach.com or call (732) 462-1559.