Tulsa education leader shares advice for parents on college and career planning

With students back in school, experts say now is the time for parents to start meaningful conversations about their children’s future. That includes setting goals, exploring career interests and thinking ahead about higher education opportunities.

Dr. Laura Latta, Executive Director of the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, shared advice on how families can start those conversations without feeling overwhelmed.

How should parents start talking to kids about college and careers?

“The good news is for parents, caregivers, champions of students, that you don’t have to be an expert in every field or industry area,” Latta said. “It really first starts with questions and curiosity about kids’ and students’ interests. What do they find the most fascinating at school? What do they like to learn about? And really helping them to explore those different areas.”

She added that as kids get older, parents can connect those interests to possible career paths. “Having conversations about the types of jobs that might match with some of those interests” can help guide the next step, Latta said.

How can parents support their kids without adding pressure?

“Especially for high school students, it can feel like there are a lot of decisions that they have to make about their futures,” Latta said. “But again, just assuring parents and caregivers, you don’t have to be an expert in every field, but lean into the process with curiosity with them.”

She encouraged families to attend local events together. “Go to college fairs, campus visits—we have nine awesome colleges and universities here in Northeast Oklahoma,” Latta said. “And it can be a really great bonding experience rather than feeling like you have to have all of the answers or have expert advice. Just letting their interests and curiosities sort of guide the conversation.”

What role does exploring campuses and options play?

“As students are in high school and they get closer to that graduation, you can have more intentional conversations about things like, do you want to go to a big campus or a small campus or a local campus? How much money do you want to spend? Are there scholarships?” Latta said.

She said those questions help families get “a little more targeted in some of those future planning conversations.”