Monmouth County families can work with a Blackburn mentor by video, from Red Bank and Rumson to Holmdel, Middletown, Freehold and the shore towns. Each high school student, college student or young adult has one dedicated mentor, meets weekly or more often in Eastern time, and can text or call between sessions. We are based in Los Angeles, so sessions here are online.
Life on the Shore, all year
Monmouth County runs on two calendars. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the beach towns fill up, boardwalk and restaurant jobs are everywhere, and teenagers are busy with lifeguard stands, surf shops and summer crowds. After Labor Day, things quiet down and the year settles into school, sports and commuting.
The commute is part of the picture. Some parents take the North Jersey Coast Line, others drive the Parkway, and some ride the ferry from the Bayshore into Manhattan. Others work locally in health care, education, marine trades and small business. The county was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and many families still remember rebuilding.
Seasonal patterns a mentor plans around
Summer: lots of work, not much reflection
A summer job on the shore is great experience. It can also mean a student goes from June to September without thinking about the fall at all. A mentor keeps a light weekly touchpoint going so a college list, a reading plan or a savings goal moves forward between shifts. Our teen summer plan guide has ideas.
Fall and winter: the quiet stretch
When the beach towns empty, some young adults who worked seasonally find themselves without much structure. This is where a plan for the off-season helps: a class, a certification, a job search for year-round work, or a fitness routine that is not built on summer weather.
Who reaches out from Monmouth County
- Parents of a teen who works hard at the summer job but cannot get organized for school.
- A senior deciding between staying close to home and going farther away.
- A college student who wants to come back to the shore after graduation and needs a career plan that fits.
- A twenty-something working seasonal jobs who wants something steadier.
Keeping the plan going between sessions
The real progress happens between meetings. Mentors use short texts and calls to check on the one or two things that matter most that week. If a plan is not working, it gets adjusted rather than abandoned. With permission, parents get regular updates so they are not left guessing.
New Jersey is three hours ahead of our mentors, which makes after-school and after-work sessions easy. A 4 pm session in Red Bank is 1 pm in Los Angeles.
Where a mentor helps
A mentor is not a tutor, therapist or admissions counselor. The role is steady, practical guidance and accountability from one person who knows the goals. For teens, see mentoring for high school students; for those finishing school or working seasonal jobs, see young adult mentoring. Details on our video sessions are on the online mentoring page, and statewide information is on the New Jersey mentoring page.
Monmouth County beyond the boardwalk: the local picture
Monmouth County is several places in one. The Bayshore towns look toward the city, the coastal boroughs live by the summer season, and western towns like Colts Neck, Manalapan, Marlboro and Howell feel suburban or even rural, with horse farms and long drives. County career academies with competitive admission let some students choose a specialized high school track as early as eighth grade, so families start planning sooner than they expect.
Asbury Park’s music scene draws young musicians and creatives from across the region. Public service careers in police, fire and public works are respected paths here, and they come with exams and timelines that reward early planning. The redevelopment of the former Army base at Fort Monmouth has brought new offices and housing. Year-round rent near the shore keeps rising, so young adults who want to stay local often need a steadier job and a firmer budget than seasonal work provides. Many end up living with family a few years longer than they planned.
Situations that come up often in Monmouth County
- An eighth grader and parents decide whether to apply to a county career academy.
- A young musician in Asbury Park wants to build a career without giving up a steady job too soon.
- A teen interested in firefighting or policing wants to know what steps come first.
- A Howell or Manalapan teen spends a lot of time driving between school, work and activities.
- A young adult wants to stay near the shore but needs a plan for year-round rent.
Monmouth County is in Eastern time; sessions take place by video at local hours, and in-person mentoring happens only in Los Angeles. Related guides: how to become a firefighter and career and technical education.
Related
- Online mentoring in Princeton and Central New Jersey
- Online mentoring in Northern New Jersey
- Online mentoring in Morris County
- A teen’s first job
- Education guides for families
Common questions
Can sessions work around a summer job schedule?
Yes. Sessions are booked in your local time and can move around shift work as it changes.
Do you meet in person anywhere in Monmouth County?
No. In-person mentoring is only in Los Angeles. In Monmouth County, sessions are by video, with text and phone contact in between.
My young adult works seasonally. Can a mentor help with year-round work?
Yes. A mentor can help build a plan for steady work, from résumés and applications to training options, broken into weekly steps.
Get started
Want to talk through mentoring for someone on the Shore? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.