Episode 100: Celebrating the Journey – What this journey has taught me and for the high school & college students I coach!

In this special 100th episode of The College and Career Ready Podcast, I’m reflecting on my journey as a career coach, educator, and podcaster to provide parents with insights on how to support their teens in preparing for their future. From starting as a pharmacy technician to becoming a Career and Technology Education expert, my non-linear path taught me valuable lessons about career guidance, self-discovery, and the power of connections.

This episode is packed with actionable advice to help parents guide their teens from high school to college and beyond, including:

• Why self-awareness is key to successful career selection in today’s fast-changing job market.
• The importance of making meaningful career connections early on to gain real-world skills and opportunities.
• How my signature Career Connections online course can help your student transition from high school to college with clarity and confidence.
• Lessons I’ve learned from podcasting, including overcoming imposter syndrome and embracing new opportunities.

As I pause podcasting to focus on DiscoverU College and Career Coaching, I’m sharing tips and tools you can use to help your teen prepare for their journey with purpose and direction.

Resources Mentioned:

• Join the Career Connections newsletter: collegecareerready.org/join
• Sign up for the Career Connections online course starting in January 2025: https://collegecareerready.org/course or Email me directly at info@collegecareerready.org.

Let’s Stay Connected:

• Website: collegecareerready.org
• Newsletter: collegecareerready.org/join

This isn’t goodbye but an hasta pronto! Thank you for being part of this journey. Always remember – stay well, be present, and enjoy the journey!

Connect with Sonia Cacique
LinkedIn
Instagram

Join our College and Career Connections Club for free at www.CollegeCareerReady.org/join

Learn about our Career Connections Course: www.CollegeCareerReady.org/COURSE

"Stay well, be present, and enjoy the journey"

Transcript

Sonia Intro: 0:01

Welcome to College and Career Ready, the only podcast that helps students transition from high school to college and college to their career. My name is Sonia Cacique. I'm a former educator, certified school counselor, career coach, and founder of Discover U. Together, we will redefine what it truly means to be college and career ready. And with our community, you don't have to do this alone. So come with me and let's get started.

0:35

Welcome to the College Incuber Ready podcast. I'm your host, Sonia Kazike, and today marks a very special milestone that I want to celebrate with all of you. And that is episode number 100. We made it my friend, our 100th episode. We are going to have the chance to look back on this incredible journey. One that started long before I even knew I'd be behind a microphone and to share the insights, the pivots, and the lessons that brought me here today. This season finale is about reflection, about new beginnings, and about the value of staying connected. Plus, I have some news to share, so stay tuned until the end. but first, let's go back to the very beginning. I have shared this with you before, that my career journey started at a small age. As a certified pharmacy technician. From there, I became an educator. I went back to school to earn my master's degree and then ventured into the world of CTE, also known as career and technology education, as an education consultant. Along the way, I learned firsthand that careers, especially today, are rarely linear. They're a mix of stepping stones, pivots, and open doors that we might not have even noticed until they're right in front of us. That led me to where I am at today as a proud founder and owner of Discover You College and Career Coaching. Each of these experiences added a unique piece to my journey, but it was a dear friend of mine, Sarah, who unknowingly inspired the next chapter of my life a little over two years ago, and I like sharing this story with you because you never know who that person can be for you. or who you can be for someone else. That's why it's so important for always to share some of the things that we're going through, the accomplishments, the milestones, because you never know who you'll be impacting, just like I am here today on this podcast. So my friend, Sarah started her own podcast and I found out through a Facebook post that she shared that she was about to launch her podcast. We were connected or we are connected on Facebook. And so I saw, you know, her, her news, her news alert, and I was really excited about it. And seeing her take this leap of faith made me think, Hmm, if she can do it, I mean, so can I, right? That's when I reached out to her asking, Sarah, how did you do it? And that was my first career connection. Working on this new journey of my life with her guidance. I stepped into the world of podcasting. She shared with me about the course that she had taken with Keisha. Get married podcaster of the empower her podcast. If you have not checked out her podcasts, girls, if you're listening, this is a great podcast to listen to. She is an amazing, amazing human being. And I have learned so much from her and have had the opportunity to meet her in person as well. But anyhow, um, she had a full online course back then that also allowed me to tap into the online course venture that you have heard about, now with my signature career connections, online course was also a fruit of that connection that I had with her. Again, one of those moments where I felt, man, if she can do it, so can I, right? Okay. So back to my story, I took Keisha's course, which was a course to launch your podcast. In other words, my podcast in four weeks. And so I joined. Now, her course was very intimidating at first because I'm like, in four weeks, like I'm going to launch my podcast in four weeks, but you know what? I realized I work under pressure a little better and I need someone to dream bigger for me, right? I want that person in the forefront, that coach, that mentor, that's going to say, yes, you can do it and walk me step by step. So my first podcast was actually titled the Momfluence podcast. And it began with a simple As moms or parents, where are children's most influential influencer? I love those conversations and it helped me realize what truly lit a fire within me. And that was college and career readiness. So now we're bringing it back full circle. I realized so many of our parents were worried and concerned about our own child's future. That the word college provided a lot of stress in parents and students. And that the finances of college made us concerned and had us questioning What if our child would halfway through college decide, mom, dad, I want to change majors or that they would graduate to later tell us that they dislike or hate their career that they chose. I am sure that you have heard of at least one person who pivoted their career at least once post college graduation, because they realized that they were in the wrong field. Or I bet you have heard of that one person who was a psychology major, who later realized their options were, let's say limited post college graduation, unless they went towards their master's degree or build enough experience and gained enough skills, transferable skills to pivot their career. Yet no one told them this along the way, or like Keisha's husband, Sina, who went to dental school, finished dental school, became a dentist only to graduate and later realize he was in the wrong career. And he was not happy. And now he is running a very successful real estate business, along with Keisha Get Married, his wife, and who actually have their own podcast that they share together called Get Investing. have you heard stories like those? Oh, and there is something else that I also saw that as a society, we all kept talking about mental health and our children, teens and young adults, yet we were not changing the high expectations set upon them with academia and what mostly believed that the only way is to play the highly competitive college admissions process and build more stress and anxiety upon our children. So I made a shift and launched the now college degree ready podcast, diving into everything from college preparation to real world skills. But here's the interesting part, my friend, the more I talk to experts, the more I realized I saw how nonlinear careers are for so many of us, even including myself. The job market is evolving faster than ever and the greatest tool we have for college and career readiness isn't just a degree or resume, which don't get me wrong, I am a huge advocate of college education and pursuing your college degree. But my focus in the process of college and career readiness is knowing ourselves better, whether it's in the process of college selection, selecting majors, or narrowing your college career path. Knowing who we are, our strengths, our passions, our values, this self awareness becomes our compass. it guides us in making career connections that align with who we truly are. And that's crucial because we're entering a world where change is constant and inevitable. Where jobs come and go and new industries are created practically overnight. We need to work towards a degree and career path that motivates us and brings out the best version of us. College isn't just about the degree anymore. It's about the experience, the connections, and the real world skills that we can gain along the way. Take medicine, for example. If you're considering a career as a doctor, you might think the path is pretty clear cut, right? But did you know there are over a hundred and thirty five specialties and subspecialties? The question becomes which path is best for your child or yourself? And again, it circles back to knowing yourself. This understanding became the foundation for what is now Discover U College and Career Coaching. Through Discover U, I get to work one on one with students, guiding them to navigate this journey of self discovery and career exploration. The most fulfilling part of my work is helping students understand who they truly are, making meaningful connections, and chart a course that will help them enter the workforce with clarity and purpose. My vision is that all college graduates start their first career earning higher salaries than their peers, while also living meaningful and purposeful lives. this work that I do with students inspired me to create my signature career connections online course. It's a four week online journey where students build a foundation for discovering themselves and making career connections early on. My goal is for them to finish college, not only with a degree, but with a network and a clear vision of the career they want to pursue. They'll have real world skills and most importantly, they'll know themselves and have a roadmap toward their goals. So what has this journey of podcasting taught me? I'd say three main things. First, don't be afraid to start something new. I remember feeling overwhelmed at the idea of podcasting. It was foreign, unfamiliar, and honestly, a little intimidating. But by learning from someone who was just one step ahead of me, I was able to break it down and make it happen. Second, imposter syndrome will always show up when you're starting something new or stepping into something new. And that's okay. You can overcome it by focusing on your mission learning along the way. I was nervous with those first few episodes, but I knew that by sharing my passion and being authentic, I was making a difference. And you know what? I just kept taking the next step, just making the next episode. And third, that careers of tomorrow don't even exist today. I realize that what matters most is staying true to yourself and always being open to learning and connecting with others. We're all just one connection away from changing the trajectory of our lives. One conversation, one introduction, one idea can spark something that you may never have even dreamed of. This philosophy is at the heart of my Career Connections course, where I guide students in building their network and gaining valuable skills that will serve them through college and into their careers. So, as we wrap up this season and celebrate 100 episodes, I want to thank every single one of you for being part of this journey. If you're interested in joining our next cohort, which will launch in January, you can check out the details by going to collegecareerready. org forward slash course, or send me a message directly to my email info at collegecareerready. org. You can also stay connected by joining our Career Connections newsletter, and you can do so by going to collegecareerready. org forward slash join. All of these links will be included in the show notes. I really want us to stay connected in the in between of our next season. This isn't a goodbye, my friend. It's an hasta pronto. My goal is to come back with mini season episodes focused on specific college and career readiness topics, focusing on the companies and careers of today and even the future. time for me to take a pause and focus fully on Discover U and my work with high school and college students. Thank you for being here, for listening and for supporting this podcast. As always, stay well, my friend. Be present and enjoy the journey alongside with your child. Or if you're a student listening, enjoy the journey fully, my friend, it will go by quickly. I'm looking forward to connecting with you soon, whether to discover you, my career connections course, or the next chapter of this podcasting journey. Until then, my sweet friend, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And enjoy every moment of this beautiful journey. Hasta pronto. Mhm. Thank you for listening in. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much to me if you share it with a friend, a colleague, or your own community. If you share it on social media and tag me, I'll make sure to personally thank you. My two favorite places to hang out are Instagram and LinkedIn. Check out our show notes for a direct link. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. And as always stay well, be present and enjoy the journey. Adios.