June 30, 2025
By the time you’re a high school junior, what question starts ringing in your ears?
“Where are you going to college?”
But the better question is: “What kind of work do you envision doing after college?”
Rather than beginning your college search by focusing only on school rankings, sports teams, or the beauty of the campus (though these can matter), a smarter approach is to work backwards—from career to college.
This idea is inspired by education journalist Jeffrey Selingo’s forthcoming book, Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You. Selingo urges students to reframe the college search not around prestige, but around fit and purpose. One key strategy he recommends? Start with the life you want after college—and work backward.
Start with LinkedIn, Not a College Website
LinkedIn isn’t just for adults in the workforce. It’s an incredible tool for students like you. Even without a LinkedIn profile, you can search for real job openings—and that’s where the gold is.
Go to LinkedIn.com, click “Jobs” in the top menu, and type in a future career you’re curious about. It might be “UX Designer,” “Data Analyst,” “Marketing Strategist,” “Museum Curator,” or “Nonprofit Program Manager.” Pick something you could see yourself doing someday. Once you click on a job opening, look closely at the “requirements” or “qualifications” section.
This list doesn’t just show you qualifications for in that role—it helps you reverse engineer the kinds of skills and experiences you’ll need to build before graduation.
Let’s look at two examples.
Example 1: Sustainability Analyst at Patagonia
You might be passionate about climate issues, interested in corporate responsibility, and love the idea of working for a company that aligns with your values. A job posting for a Sustainability Analyst at Patagonia (a real past listing) included these requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, or related field
Internship or 1–2 years of work experience in sustainability or environmental policy
Knowledge of carbon accounting and sustainability frameworks (like GHG Protocol, CDP)
Strong communication and collaboration skills
Proficiency in Excel and experience with data visualization
Reading this description, you can already start shaping your college research. You’ll want a college that not only offers environmental studies or sustainability majors, but also internships with environmental nonprofits or corporations with sustainability departments.
You might also look for schools that have student-led sustainability initiatives, green campuses, or partnerships with industry leaders. Programs that teach carbon accounting, data analysis, or environmental law basics will stand out.
Also, you'll need to practice "soft skills"—communication, collaboration, initiative—which may mean finding programs with project-based courses or first-year seminars.
Example 2: Digital Marketing Specialist at National Geographic
You love storytelling, photography, and engaging people through social media. A posting for a Digital Marketing Specialist at National Geographic included the following qualifications:
Degree in Marketing, Communications, or Digital Media
Strong writing and content creation skills
Familiarity with SEO, Google Analytics, and paid media platforms
Experience using social media scheduling tools (e.g., Hootsuite, Buffer)
Creativity, time management, and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
Now, think about the kind of college that can prepare you for this. You’ll want a school with communications, media, or journalism programs, but you’ll also want places where students have opportunities to run campus social media accounts, intern at media companies, or take courses in digital marketing tools.
Many universities now offer certificates or short courses in areas like SEO, Google Analytics, or social media strategy—even if you’re not a marketing major. Some even partner with platforms like Coursera or HubSpot to let you earn professional credentials during your undergrad years.
The soft skills here—creativity, time management, comfort with fast deadlines—might best be developed through student publications, marketing clubs, or internships with local businesses.
Connect Career Prep to College Opportunities
Once you've looked through a few dream job listings and written down the skills, tools, or experiences they ask for, it’s time to dig into colleges.
Here’s how to search more strategically:
Search the college’s website for key terms from the job description. Try “carbon accounting,” “Google Analytics,” “sustainability internship,” or “digital storytelling.”
Look at internship pages. Many colleges showcase where their students intern, which companies recruit from campus, and what alumni are doing.
Explore department websites. See what kinds of projects, certifications, or research opportunities they offer. Do students publish work, lead campaigns, or travel for fieldwork?
Ask admissions officers about career prep. A great question to ask is: What kinds of hands-on experiences do students in this major get by sophomore or junior year?
This Process Also Builds Motivation
A side benefit of starting your search with career exploration is that it keeps you focused. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by hundreds of college options, you now have a short list of schools that align with your interests, talents, and goals.
Even more, you'll start seeing how summer jobs, volunteering, and course class choices fit into a bigger picture.
Final Tip for Parents
Parents often want to help—but they can empower their teens best by asking questions that spark exploration. Try:
“What kind of job do you think you’d enjoy after college?”
“Let’s look at a few of those on LinkedIn—what skills do they ask for?”
“Which colleges help students get those skills?”
This turns the process into a team effort—one where both curiosity and practicality can lead the way.
By starting with the end in mind, high school juniors can make a more informed and inspiring college choice. You don’t have to have everything figured out—but if you have just one or two career paths that excite you, LinkedIn can show you the roadmap. The next step is finding the colleges that help you travel it.
And thanks to Jeffrey Selingo’s Dream School for this thoughtful, student-centered approach.