Ready? Set? Graduate! Professional development doesn’t have to wait until the end of your college career—start now and avoid stress later.
It’s common for freshmen to start their time at universities with undecided majors, unsure of what they want during their time in academia. Students change majors three or four times before graduating and beginning serious job searching.
Nisha Anthony, a senior majoring in Spanish, relates to the indecision and frequent changes students go through early on. Anthony also has minors in music and American multicultural studies.
Anthony wants to become a Spanish interpreter with her degree, but before going to the Career Development Center (CDC), she didn’t know just how many options were available to her. Anthony attended two other colleges and didn’t have access to the same resources that MSUM has to offer.
Discouraged and left without much direction by staff or faculty in the past, Anthony explored career options alone. While her ideal job is more tightly defined, Anthony said she spent a lot of time trying to find interpreting positions in career fields that interested her.
“The Career Development Center saves students’ time because they’re able to help you focus on what your strengths are and what you would be good at. And not by telling you that you’re good at those things based off of a test, but encouraging you to embrace it yourself,” she said. “I think that is something every college should offer.”
The CDC is a resource on campus where current students and alumni alike can find student workers and staff that offer resume and cover letter reviews, mock interviews, job searches and more.
Preparing for life post-graduation is not something that has to be limited to seniors. Samantha Gust, the newly hired assistant director of the CDC, said students should get a head start on their futures as soon as possible.
Universities prepare their students for success in their professional lives.
Even if students aren’t quite ready for a job in their field, Gust urges students to use the resources of the CDC to give them an advantage in the workforce.
“If you’re a freshman in college, you’re applying for a part-time job, and you already have a resume that’s drafted and looks professional, that’s really going to set you apart from other folks that are in the same boat that just didn’t take the time to do that,” she said
On Sept. 4, the CDC hosted a part-time job fair for any student on campus to attend. 45 different employers from the surrounding area took part in the job fair. Each employer had part-time jobs or internships available.
The part-time job fair was the first of many that the CDC will host, including events for current and prospective students: a graduate school event, an etiquette dinner, and “College, Connections, and Careers,” which invites local high school juniors to MSUM and exposes them to optional careers and professions available to study
The CDC also offers “DragonJobs” and the Handshake application as a job search tool students can use. The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday.