Meet Robert Jansen

We recently connected with Robert Jansen and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

I suppose I’ve always been a bit of a risk-taker. As a child. I was adventurous and curious. My parents have stated they had to take extra steps to child proof the house, in addition to what they had already done for my older two siblings, because I would figure out ways to access where I wasn’t supposed to, such as escaping from my crib, opening doors and locks and finding clever ways to access the highest points of the house. On top of that, I have a wonderfully supportive family, which is also very large, when you start counting aunts, uncles and cousins, most of whom I am very close with. As a young adult I recognized how unique my family is in their closeness and their unconditional love and support for one another, and I saw this as permission, in a way, to be a risk taker. Knowing that I have a giant safety net underneath me, if I were ever to fall, I know have dozens of people who I know would bend over backward in an instant to help me out of a jam if I really needed it. In this way, I feel my family gives me permission to be bold, take risks, and embrace uncertainty.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My primary focus right now is growing my own business as an independent College Advisors. Late in 2023 I created Pathfinders College Counseling, following a 5-year stint of working abroad as a College Advisor at international high schools in Panama. I came to Panama from Wisconsin in 2018 after completing my Master’s Degree in School Counseling the year before. For years my interest in learning to speak Spanish had been growing, as I often interacted with native Spanish speakers during the 9 years I worked with children and adolescents at a mental health hospital in Wisconsin. At the same time I was starting graduate school in 2014, I was diving deep into language learning on my own accord, and by the time I had earned my degree I was a bit frustrated with my slow progress. I decided that full immersion would be the best and more natural way for me to acquire the language at the level I desired. So when it was time to apply for my first job at a Master’s level, I geared my search toward international schools in the Caribbean and Latin America, where I could do my job in English, while at the same time having ample opportunities to learn and practice Spanish in the community. I have since surpassed any level of proficiency that I had previously dreamed of, and use it on a daily basis both personally and professionally.

Pathfinders was born following the completion of the 2022-23 school year, because I was a bit disheartened by the international school scene. The political nature of the for-profit schools that I worked for meant they were making too many decisions based on finances that were not in the best interest of students and families, nor the staff who worked for them. I guess you could say I felt there was a misalignment of values. So I decided it was time to take a risk, leave the school, and start my own endeavor working independently to support students and their families with all aspects of the college search and application process to universities around the world. This includes initial exploration of potential career options through assessments, university research, and identifying “best fit” universities for the student, scholarship searching, essay writing, and more. Different Universities and different countries have different standards and application processes, so it can become a lot to juggle for students and families, especially if going through the process for the first time.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1) Willingness to take a risk – As I spoke about, I tend not to be too averse to risk-taking, as I have a sea of a support system who I know would catch me if I fell. But in addition to that, I have confidence in my abilities and in my willingness and commitment to follow-through with something I set out to do. The hardest part of any task is just getting started. Once you do, its just a matter of maintaining momentum, which often snowballs into something much bigger.

2) Openness to feedback – I won’t deny that I have struggled with imposter syndrome for much of my career. Somehow despite my academic and professional qualifications there has always been a part of me that feels I have somehow tricked everyone into believing I was worthy of being in the professional position I am in. Whether this is the cause or a symptom of humility, I haven’t really figured out. But it certainly has meant that I welcome feedback and constructive criticism, and have a large degree of gratitude toward those who share it, as I tend to heed it and make efforts to improve.

3) Knowledge and network of college admissions – I wouldn’t have been able to start my own business if I didn’t have this kind of expertise, all of which I gained from the above two qualities. When I arrived in Panama I knew a bit about how to apply to Universities in the United States, as that’s where I studied myself. Landing a position in an international school as a high school counselor meant that college admissions was half of the job, and it was a bit of trial by fire at first. I was far from perfect in my first year, but I sought help early and often from other professional counselors both in Panama and around the world as I met others at professional conferences, counselor fly-ins, etc. I attribute much of my success to the support I’ve received and continue to receive from this kind of network.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed there are a few things I do to manage this. As a counselor, I am a very right-brained person and very in-tune with my emotions. One thing that helps is to simply talk it out. Sometimes everything building up inside of you just needs to be expressed. This can be done in a very literal sense by just sharing with somebody what is going on, what you are struggling with, etc. My wife Camille is my go-to person for this. And it is a bonus that we are both bilingual (English/Spanish) so I can use both languages to do so. I also enjoy playing guitar and singing. This is just fun for me and music really taps into my emotions. Sometimes I feel the need to play a sad song, sometimes happy, or sometimes write something of my own. The guitar is a good “break” when feeling overwhelmed because you just get lost in the music and lyrics. Lastly, one thing I do, more proactively than anything, is to exercise. I know from my time working with mental health, and of course from the loads of research on the subject, that exercise is a highly effective way of managing emotions. I value my physical health as much as my mental health, and the two are very related so I make a habit out of running and lifting weights to release endorphins and keep my body healthy and my mind sharp.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.college-pathfinders.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/college_pathfinders/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555761416849
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-jansen-aab97290/
• Other: https://www.skool.com/college-pathfinders-2440/about

Image Credits

credit for Pathfinders logo design: Rich Hardy