age 6 Career Development Center Helpful with job searches, resumes and interviews; make every year a planning year Everyday students are confronted with the same intimidating sermons about how important it is to get good grades, find a meaningful job, and make the "big bucks." As true as these words are, they can be overwhelming and even depressing. When you stop and think about it, the competition students are faced with today is anything but mild. Countless people with various levels of education and skills are fighting for a limited number of jobs. A college degree used to mean security and prosperity. But now it can provide little more than a starting point down the long, winding road of employment or a ticket to a low-paying, dead-end job. The collegiate atmosphere can also consume: With so many students in pursuit of the same resources and opportunities, it often seems like students are nothing but numbers in a never-ending computer database. So where do students go to find answers to the questions that will shape their futures and determine their careers? The solution is much closer than many think. Behrend is home to an incredible resource, the Career Development MAKE EVERY YEAR A CAREER PLANNING YEAR FRESHMAN YEAR: Identify your interests, values, and abilities by talking to a career couneior or by using DISCOVER. Test your interset through courses, volunteer jobs, student activities, and summer work. Use the Career Devekipement Center resources to identity majors that relate to your interests, abilities, and values. SOPHORMORE ,YEAR: Join student organizations revelant to your major. Choose eleCtive courses that vwill make you more marketable:'.- ExPlore relevant work experiences such as internships and summer jobs. Obtain 1114)1 Thati 011 about cccuPations 4 y:using DISCOVER. the career tiles; and by attending career fair events Attend the Alumni Career Panets and iisten to alumni inakting possible Career paths Center. Located in the first floor of the Reed Building (898-6164), it provides free career planing and academic counseling. Mary Beth Peterson is the director of career development, Kevin Moore is the assistant head, and Marilyn Chase is the staff assistant. Their offices are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The CDC is here to make lives easier. It has a wealth of valuable information about career paths and job opportunities, and its staff is Students may schedule appointments to discuss such issues as interests, skills, values, where to find career information, and how to set goals at the Career Development Center. more than willing to steer motivated students in the right direction. "Students may schedule appointments to discuss such issues Features as interests, skills, values, where to find career information, and how to set goals," according to the CDC's latest pamphlet. Appointments typically last one hour. The two most popular features of the CDC are resume files and internship counseling. "All students are encouraged to establish a resume file in the Career Development Center at least six months prior to graduation," (CDC pamphlet). The file is composed of fifteen to twenty copies of the student's resume and an informational sheet and release form. Since resumes are such an essential part of the job search process, they are kept on file for one full year after the date of signature. The process of finding a job or internship begins once a student constructs his or her resume. With thii planning period completed and all of the necessary paperwork for the on-campus system filled out, the student is ready for phase two. Mrs. Peterson describes this time period as the "active job search phase," the time when students try to "impress a potential employer." She stresses the importance of JUNIOR YEAR: In the es in *, by ItUralies, I 4442) with Y°U.. nate in .ntere ated tigateri— assoOloorr pro f 7 ifilfLas 1 yeta*job career " ;tegtes: scDvy e availabia Tinton' a,ctt Biro; dos to Exing atiot?;:fd. lob's, sear es intern. en rtuat I°l7 Dtl ct/Qrning one your.n teator tbe Begi ister Reg SENIOR YEAR: • . . Attend the gr,adu__ Attend job fah's, Development Center r with the tdahm. • , r : aret aernaeler ""v . 1 t) search wOk.h°PS.S. Attend resume and jobs seams Recruitment Prog ram. tie the On-Ca Thursday, April 11, 1996 Education: It pays for the The newest data on lifetime earnings from the Bureau of the Census tell an old story: The more education you have, the more money you earn. In fact, the value of education has certainly increased during the past 20 years. The new estimate of annual earnings for those who are high school Mean annual earnings for people age 18 and over, by highest level of education, 1992 Source: US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census both timing and action. According to her, many people have missed out on some rewarding opportunities due to procrastination or indecision. Mrs. Peterson recommends that students begin the internship process sometime after their sophomore year and before the middle of their senior year. She has seen many students come to school in August of their senior year expecting the internship process to be smooth and fast, which is not always the case. Since many companies project who they plan on hiring as early as December or January, a lot of deserving students miss the chance to be considered. Mrs. Peterson also stresses the uniqueness of the internship process. She admits that "different job search methods work better for different people, and it is important to...cover all possibilities." Although not all Behrend majors require internships, those that do provide a variety of options. For the student, working for credit is usually preferred. Some internships are simply work for work's sake; they offer no credit or pay, just experience. So those students who are lucky enough to get credit should take advantage of their good fortune. Most interns are supervised by a Behrend faculty member, who may Thursday, April 11, Highest level of educe Some college, no degree High School only Not a high school graduate also attach a letter grad. student job performanc other criteria the facult sees fit. These criteria m but are not limited t • presentations, journals, evaluations. Mrs. Peterson e students to "take c managing their careers." offers an abundance programs and resources sponsors periodic w career and internship fair has a video interviewing the convenience of stude interviews through the Park Recruitment Progra The CDC is also ho Career Resource Roo contains countless p books, and reports on • employment outlook, • planing strategies. Technology has done facilitate the job searc Students can now use Wide Web to obtain el information twenty-fo day, seven days a week. "Surfing the net" can computer researching employers look for, any speed and access to vast ; information are no doub features. The Web gives stu chance to advertise their several databases and ne graduates one ($7, earnings I inflation. bachelor'E than the I Professional Doctorate Masters Bachelor's Associate
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