Financial security is cited among reasons why first-generation college students (FGCS) pursue higher education, yet the literature advocating the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree for its perceived value in the employment marketplace fails to include the need for career exploration and planning during the college years. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to examine how career counselors who had been the first in their families to go to college use their personal experience to support current FGCS. The findings of the study suggest that career counselors who share personal, relevant stories from their own college experiences can counter students’ feelings of isolation and confusion regarding career exploration and planning. Further, findings suggest that career counselors who actively partner with academic and student life colleagues on their campuses help FGCS students form a network of contacts, subsequently creating equitable social capital opportunities for all students.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.