Finding internships and other career opportunities, connecting with alumni in fields of interest and being part of conversations with others on similar career paths just got easier for ýƵ students.
Career Communities — an online resource guide divided into eight groupings of related fields or potential career interests — are being publicly rolled out to ýƵ students as the spring term begins.
ճCenter for Career, Life, and Community Engagement (CLC) has been prepping the Career Communities in recent weeks in anticipation of the spring rollout, part of a heightened effort focused on making sure all ýƵ students are job-market ready when they graduate and are connected to valuable resources as they prepare for life after ýƵ.
“For the first time, we’ve pulled all the resources the university has that support a particular career area and put them all online in a very easy-to-use fashion,” said Anne Jones, interim dean of the CLC.
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The Career Communities are not tied to a particular major. Instead, they’re set up in broader career industry teams. The eight communities include:
Career Communities came out of recommendations from the recent Life After ýƵ study. Staff in the CLC then worked with faculty to develop the eight Career Communities based on job market trends and student interests.
“It’s not meant to be, ‘I’m an English major, what can I do with an English major?’” Jones said. “It’s meant to be more, ‘I’m interested in the area of health care, what does ýƵ have going on or what can they connect me to that will help me validate whether that’s the right career for me or help me get some experience? If I am interested, what can I do to help get myself to be more competitive in the job market or in the graduate school application process?’”
In addition to being a resource for the students, the Career Communities should provide better guidance for faculty, coaches and staff as they work with students on career possibilities, Jones said.
Among the points of interest that are a click away in each of the communities are references to popular jobs in that field, internships, alumni contacts, research and volunteer experiences, student organizations, funding opportunities, upcoming events and links to relevant courses or other academic information.
Students do not have to stick to just one of the Career Communities. Exploration is part of the process.
“We hope students will explore multiple communities that align with their interests, goals and post-graduation plans,” Jones said.
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at ýƵ.
