The path from college to a career isn’t always clear.

Every student starts college with plans and goals for a bright future and a successful career. College serves as the launching pad for a career aligned with their strengths, interests, and long-term aspirations—one that provides purpose, fulfillment, stability, and opportunities for growth.

But plans often change. It’s common for students and graduates to rethink their goals and reconsider their futures. As a result, the next steps can become unclear, direction may feel uncertain, and obstacles can arise. What once felt certain can start to feel out of reach.

Without a clear strategy and expert guidance, even the most capable students can lose momentum—leading to increased stress, missed opportunities, and a loss of confidence at a critical time.

That’s where we come in.

We replace uncertainty with a clear strategy and personalized guidance.

With nearly 20 years of experience as university career advisors and early-career recruiters, we understand the unique challenges students and graduates face at every stage of their college-to-career journey.

We take the time to understand your individual goals and challenges and provide tailored strategies and expert advice, leading to real outcomes while supporting you every step of the way.

And as former university career advisors and recruiters, we offer insider knowledge on how to stand out, stay competitive, and get hired—critical in today’s job market. Our expert insight into how companies actually hire and what employers are looking for is unmatched by other coaches.

The result is a clear path forward—with the clarity, confidence, and competitive edge needed to successfully transition from college to a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Ready to get started?

Schedule a free, no-pressure consultation. We’ll take time to understand your goals and challenges, answer your questions, and identify the next steps to move forward.

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Our Difference

✦ We specialize in working exclusively with college-age students. Unlike other career coaches, our specialized expertise is helping college students and recent graduates, along with their families. This pivotal stage of life requires expert knowledge and a deep understanding of how to empower students and graduates to confidently transition from the college classroom into rewarding, fulfilling, and secure career paths.

✦ Our services are tailored to meet your individual needs. Our services are customized to meet the unique needs of each student and graduate. We recognize that everyone's circumstances are different; we don’t offer "one-size-fits-all" services. We want to understand your student or graduate's career goals and aspirations, as well as any challenges or obstacles, and then collaborate with you to create a clear, customized strategy.

✦ We know the recruiting process inside and out. We have years of insight from working in both university career centers and in recruiting early-career talent—expertise most career coaches don't have. We know exactly how recruiting works and what employers look for. We ensure our students and grads get ahead and stand out—a significant advantage in a competitive market.

✦ Parents are a crucial part of the team and instrumental to student success. With the student’s permission (if 18 or over), we keep parents informed throughout the entire process, providing updates and practical ways to support your student—something universities often can't provide due to FERPA restrictions. Together, we help your student move forward with increased confidence, clarity, and momentum.

✦ Our advice is grounded in proven career development strategies. We often meet students who have relied on online advice or AI career tools, leaving them confused rather than confident. You can trust that every recommendation we provide is rooted in both proven career development strategies and real-world experience, designed to deliver meaningful, measurable results.

✦ We advise students across a wide range of majors and career paths. We have extensive experience advising students pursuing majors and careers in business, healthcare, engineering, technology, communications, education, science, creative industries, and liberal arts. No matter the major or career goal we know how to help students strategically prepare for career success.

✦ You'll have a dedicated career advisor with you every step of the way. The most successful career advising isn't a one-time conversation; it requires ongoing support and accountability through the entire process. You'll have weekly meetings to stay on track and motivated, plus support between sessions via texts and emails, so you won’t feel stuck or left to guess on your own.

✦ Our expertise in college career advising is unmatched. Before founding Sarah Highstone & Associates, I spent over 15 years as a college career advisor and as a recruiter for internships and entry-level roles. Our associate advisors bring the same level of expertise, having dedicated their careers to career advising and recruiting—helping thousands of students and graduates successfully launch careers.

✦ Put simply: we genuinely care. Every student we work with matters. Behind every student is a story, making career advising far more than just reviewing resumes, but about compassion, empathy, and encouragement. Over the years, we’ve seen how transformative this can be. When students begin believing in themselves and their future again, their entire trajectory can change.

The Story Behind Our Mission

A note from our founder, Sarah

I started this company because I’ve seen firsthand what happens when college students and graduates don’t receive the right career guidance—and how life-changing it is when they do.

I began my career as a recruiter hiring college students for internships and entry-level roles. I learned that successful employers don’t simply post jobs online or attend career fairs. They build recruiting partnerships with colleges and universities and work closely with faculty, career centers, and student organizations. Employers begin recruiting long before students often even realize it’s started.

After several years in recruiting, I became a university career advisor—just as the 2008 recession began. Working with students and recent graduates during that incredibly difficult period taught me that the best career advising goes far beyond reviewing resumes. It requires compassion and empathy, guiding students to gain clarity, build confidence, and understand how hiring really works. It’s helping students connect their education, experience, natural strengths, and aspirations to a career and a life they envisioned when they started their college journey.

That philosophy became the foundation of this company, and over the years, I've had the privilege of working with thousands of students and graduates providing personalized career advising services. But I also care deeply about the students I serve. I still keep the thank yous I’ve received over the years, and I love hearing updates about new jobs, promotions, and exciting life milestones. This is the reason why I do this work.

Today, our mission remains the same: to help students confidently launch fulfilling, rewarding, and successful careers they’re excited about. We’d be honored to be part of your journey and look forward to partnering with you.

Sarah Highstone, Founder

Client Success Stories

  • “I felt completely overwhelmed in my job search. Nothing was working despite following everyone's advice. Sarah helped me outline a plan that made sense and showed me what to focus on. She was supportive and available to answer my questions so I didn’t get stuck. I love my job and feel hopeful about my future again.”

    Emma — Recent Grad, BA in Communications

  • "We were extremely proud of Emma for graduating, but she hadn’t made real progress after months of searching. My advice was falling on deaf ears, and I could see her anxiety increasing. Emma’s job search quickly gained momentum after she started working with Sarah, and she soon found a great job using her degree. Emma would still be struggling if we hadn’t hired Sarah."

    Chelsea — Emma’s Mom

  • "I was feeling a lot of pressure to choose a major. It felt like everyone else had their life planned out except me. Sarah helped me narrow down my choices, showed me which careers matched each major, and what I could do with each in the future. I ended up declaring Biology as my major, which opens up a lot of different possibilities. Sarah really helped me become confident again about my future after college."

    Maddie — Sophomore, BS in Biology

  • "Our daughter’s uncertainty about a college major was affecting her confidence, and our advice only added to the pressure. The career assessments and advising with Sarah were instrumental in helping Maddie identify a major and explore careers in line with her strengths and goals. Maddie attends college out of state, so Sarah’s updates are very important. It's reassuring that her major will offer job growth and stability. Most importantly, Maddie's excited about her future again, which is all we want for her."

    Tim & Hannah — Maddie's Parents

  • “I’d applied to hundreds of jobs but heard nothing back. Sarah helped me retool my whole job search. For the first time since graduating, I had a strategy that worked. Within weeks, I was interviewing and eventually landed a great role. I credit Sarah for getting me here.”

    Aiden — Recent Grad, BS in Computer Science

  • “We watched our son struggle for a year in his job search and knew he needed guidance. Sarah's experience working with college graduates made the difference. She quickly identified the issues and created a plan, providing Aiden with structure and accountability. He had an offer within months. Seeing him confident in his new job is what we’d hoped for after graduation. Hiring Sarah was one of the best decisions we made.”

    Matt & Amanda — Aiden’s Parents

  • "I'd been putting off looking for an internship because I didn’t know where to start or what internships fit my major. Sarah gave me direction, helped me identify internships I was qualified for, and improved my resume and LinkedIn profile. I found a paid summer internship and am confident about the direction I’m headed in now."

    Dylan — Junior, BA in Political Science

  • "We were struggling to help our son find an internship and connect his major to opportunities. Sarah's level of expertise in working with college students was immediately evident. She helped Dylan explore options we hadn’t considered and guided him through his entire internship search. He now has an excellent internship experience to include on his resume. Our advice to other parents is not to wait—we only wish we'd found Sarah earlier."

    Bryan — Dylan’s Dad

  • "Sarah helped me create a job search plan for my senior year. Her insider knowledge of how companies recruit was invaluable; she had advice that no one else did. I learned how to network, prepare for interviews, and position my Spanish skills to stand out. Her advice gave me the significant edge that led to my job offer."

    Connor — Senior, BS in Business; Minor in Spanish

  • "We wanted Connor to have a job search strategy in his final year. Sarah delivered exactly what we needed. She helped him focus his time on the right opportunities and networking, resulting in multiple interviews and a great job offer, and she kept us updated so we could support him during a stressful process. We couldn’t be more satisfied with Sarah’s guidance; she was there for Connor every step of the way."

    John & Julia — Connor’s Parents

  • "I needed an internship to graduate and everyone told me how hard it would be to find one. The internships I wanted to apply for also required an online portfolio, which I didn’t have. My Mom had me work with Sarah, who helped me put together my portfolio using my classwork plus designs I'd made for my sorority and a graphic design competition. We also completely reorganized my internship search to focus on networking, which actually led to me getting hired."

    Ashley — Junior, BFA, Graphic Design

  • "We didn't realize Ashley needed a portfolio to submit with internship applications. We found Sarah who has experience working with creative majors. She had insights into how hiring interns works and advice we hadn’t heard before. Ashley completed her internship and already applied for one of the company’s full-time roles. We’re having Ashley work with Sarah in her senior year so she can continue strengthening her portfolio and stay on top of job searching."

    Jen — Ashley’s Mom

  • "I know I’m not falling behind working with Sarah. Taking the career assessments helped me narrow down majors and careers. Following the Career Roadmap has made my first year much less stressful because I'm not missing important events and deadlines. Learning how to network and make professional connections now will lead to opportunities in the future. The best thing is knowing I can contact Sarah whenever I have questions or need advice."

    Grace — First Year Student

  • "Given the significant investment we are making in Grace's education, we wanted her to have professional career guidance from day one. Sarah's expertise has been invaluable. Rather than leaving our daughter's future to chance, we plan to have her work with Sarah all four years. We see it as an essential investment in ensuring our daughter's success."

    Jessica & David —Grace’s Parents