Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Reeder, M.Ed..
Hi Dana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
13 years ago, my family moved to San Antonio from Dusseldorf, Germany. At the time, my oldest daughter was in 8th grade and had most of her education overseas. We attended a “prepare to go to high school” night where the counselor said, “You are going to high school next year, so you need to decide what you want to do as a career”. I was shocked, especially with my professional background in Guidance and Counseling. As I watched the process unfold, I realized there was very little, to no, conversations about “how” to make informed decisions about their future. In the US, we love to talk about “the college conversation” but nothing about why we are going to engage in whatever education is needed after HS. In other countries, “aptitudes” are a major part of guiding kids into careers that would be perfect based on their abilities. As a result, Reeder Consulting: College & Career Paths was created 10 years ago where I focus solely on helping individuals age 14 through adulthood (half of my clients are adults) make informed decisions about careers that align with who they are, what they love but most importantly, how their brain naturally processes information through aptitude testing. I’m fortunate to have clients in all 50 states due to the ability to test online and meet with me by Zoom.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, yes, very blessed with a smooth journey. I’d say there have been two struggles through the years. The first is counselors/school districts seeing what I do as a belief they aren’t doing enough, hence a criticism of their roles in schools. Throughout the years, high school counselors have come to understand that what I do is a “specialty” in the career development field and now refer students/families to me. Especially young adults who have learning differences, mental health struggles, etc. In addition, when young adults are talking about making college decisions, I refer them to their counselors because that’s where they thrive. I don’t help students get into schools as I’m not an Independent Education Consultant but strictly a career counselor.
The second challenge is that people don’t understand what a “career counselor” is, nor that I exist and have no idea what the word “aptitude” means. There’s a lot of education I do about the right way to make future career decisions which is figuring out the “why”! Why am I attending college anyway? What comes next? How do we get there? What are their career values? How strong is the market, meaning can they get a job, especially with the introduction of AI. Salary expectations, growth areas within the US…so much data to help feel confident about the decision they are making. But most importantly, giving language to why a career makes sense for them based on how their brain processes information as it relates to people who are in those career fields. I call it the “comfortable pair of shoes” analogy because it feels great when you aren’t squeezing yourself into careers that don’t fit.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In aptitude testing, there is a test that determines “work approach”. You are either a Generalist, Liaison, or Specialist. “Generalist” makes up most of the population and basically means you are willing to get the job done, don’t need tons of pats on the back, and the shared success is what makes you happy. The “Liaison” is a person who helps the Generalist and Specialist understand each other. They want everyone to feel heard. I call them the Peace Makers. The “Specialist” only makes up 7% of the population, and they want to be the best at what they do. When they are curious about something, they want to know everything there is to know about it. They dive deep and hence, become a Specialist. That’s me! Learning this as a young adult is great too because it gives them the lens and language to understand they’ve got to get into their field as soon as possible, because that is when learning gets good! Especially if they have any learning differences.
When I created Reeder Consulting: College & Career Paths, I didn’t feel one “assessment” or “test” was enough. As a result, I use 3 different instruments in my practice, which requires a master’s in counseling to administer. If you don’t know what you are looking at, it could be dangerous, not to mention unethical to administer, which is why a counseling degree is required.
In schools, if a young adult has had any career exploration, it’s through an “interest inventory.” However, there are many holes in this instrument. The biggest issue is “interest” does not stabilize until a person is 25 years old. So, we are asking kids in Texas to select “endorsements” at the end of their 8th grade year when they’ve had very little exposure to what exists. In addition, if there is depression, anxiety, etc. often young adults won’t have any interest. This was never truer than during COVID.
I know some universities use the Myers-Briggs Personality as the sole instrument for career decisions. Young males often don’t have strong results because they are getting to know themselves. And most importantly, it’s been proven that individuals on the spectrum don’t have valid results for the MBTI, so if a career office at a university is only using the personality, it’s not helpful, nor a valid assessment.
The aptitude portion is the most critical “test” a person can engage in. And I’m thrilled to hear more schools are offering aptitude testing. However, people do not come to me for the tests. They come to me for the analysis and the in-depth conversation about their results and to help them make decisions. I say the “Magic Happens” during our session, not from taking the assessments or tests. And as a result, I now have clients in all 50 states, which is just so rewarding.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
The risk for me was doing something no one else was doing. I felt in my soul that it was the missing link for the mental health of young adults. They deserved dedicated time to focus on their future, not just talking about colleges. For some young adults, college is not their desire, and they can make more money with a 2- year degree/certification pathway than master level therapists. Information is Power is one of my favorite quotes to my families.
Over 7 years ago, I brought Angst, the documentary on anxiety, to Trinity University, along with some wonderful San Antonio community partners, for free. The reason is I felt we were not talking enough about how the conversations surrounding where you go to school, figuring your entire life out at the age of 15, taking all AP/Dual Credit, class rankings, SAT/ACT scores, GPA numbers were severely taking a toll on our youth. It was attended by close to 2K individuals, with a huge portion being school districts that ultimately showed the documentary in their schools. In my practice, I see the massive stress every single day that young adults are under. The “risk” for what I do is not helping young adults stay balanced. I’m passionate about staying calm in the chaos that is the college landscape because the ultimate goal is for them to do something they are great at; hence, they will enjoy. And realize there is a place for everyone in the world of work. Not to mention, your scores do not define who you are, as well as where you go to college. It’s not my philosophy, but proven research.
I was asked to be a speaker at the Laura Bush Institute for Women’s Health where I shared with 1500 freshman girls at Angelo State University how to stay balanced as they navigate making one of the biggest decisions in their lives. This was early in my practice and I’m not going to lie…I was beyond nervous! But it was such an honor to be asked to share my passion by an organization so well-respected. The “risk” was truly worth the fear.
The bottom line is the “risk” of us not staying balanced as parents transcend to our children and many parents appreciate, I’m part of their process. I then am blessed to work with all of their children (and many times the moms!) as they see the incredible investment in their child’s mental health, decrease in time in college due to changing majors and a big pain point, not wasting money on education stumbles.
Any entrepreneur will tell you if you don’t like “risk” don’t go into business for yourself. But I tell people who are considering this journey, you’ve got to truly believe what you are doing is needed. My highest “aptitude” is brainstorming. My brain fires ALL the time! Not all ideas are great, but I solve problems in a way most people can’t because my brain has a superpower (yes, it’s exhausting too) and sees things differently. But because of this, I was committed to solving a problem I knew existed not only in Texas, but all over the US. And with each year, my belief in formal career counseling continues to be validated. I believe our young adults deserve to have someone on their side as they navigate the most stressful time of their lives. It’s truly an honor.
Pricing:
- $1195 Comprehensive
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reederconsulting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reederconsulting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reederconsulting/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-reeder-1b14807/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ReederConsult
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reederconsultingllccollege5006
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/reeder-consulting-college-and-career-paths-san-antonio-2
