MONTCLAIR, N.J., Nov. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — "Ivory Tower," an upcoming CNN Film that explores whether a college education is worth the cost, is likely to strike a chord with anxious parents. "Parents are spending, and often borrowing, hundreds of thousands of dollars for college tuition; yet many college grads are unemployed or underemployed," says Shelly Lombard of Advice for the Grind. "Parents want to make sure their children are doing the right things to make that college education pay off; but they don't want to be ridiculed for being helicopter parents."
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For parents who are confused and conflicted about how hands-on they should be with their college-age children, Lombard advises them to act like drones instead of helicopters. "Drones carry out very targeted missions and then they fly away; they don't hang around. And they are stealthy – silent and unseen," Lombard says. "In addition, drones provide assistance but, because they are controlled remotely, humans are able to maintain an emotional distance and avoid being over-involved."
"For example, a helicopter parent will force their child to major in engineering or business because they will get a job. But a 'parent drone' whose child wants to major in history or puppetry will have a serious conversation about what careers they can pursue with that degree and a 'financial facts of life' talk about what they will need to earn if they want to rent their own apartment, buy a car, and repay their student loans," Lombard explains. "A parent drone will role play with their child about how to handle a problem at work while a helicopter parent will call their child's boss."
Lombard, a former Wall Street professional who has trained and mentored junior analysts, says she started AdvicefortheGrind.com to help college parents. The company provides free video advice on its "Advice for the Grind for Parents" YouTube ™ channel. It also offers a mobile app for students called "Career PreGame" which costs $3.99. "The app gives college students a four year plan for what to do each year in order to increase their chances of being employed or employable when they graduate. And the app sends them reminders to do things like apply for summer internships and visit the career services center, so parents don't have to nag them," Lombard says.
The app is available for iPhone and Android users. Parents whose children have iPhones can send them the app as a gift or share it through family sharing.
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