Considering Careers After College: The Role Memorable Messages Play in Student’s Decisions

When contemplating major decisions, such as college and career, people typically rely on advice from other, significant individuals from their life. In the field of communication, memorable messages are “interpersonal messages...remembered for a long time” with “a profound influence on a person's life” (Knapp, 1981, p. 27). These messages are a primary way individuals learn about social norms, expectations, and relationships, particularly during emerging adulthood. More specifically, parents may play a significant role in the socialization of college and career expectations for their college-aged children. This project will expand the research on memorable messages by exploring students’ recollections of parental communication about college and career decisions. Additionally, this study seeks evidence of traditional gender roles and ideology that may be perpetuated through the communication of career advice from parents to their students.