A
timeline for career planning
From the Winter 2003 Parent Newsletter
Career planning and preparation is a four-year
process. Students should be examining career options as first- and
second-year students, and fine-tuning their career plans as juniors
and seniors.
FRESHMAN
• Talk to a career counselor about career values and interests.
• Talk with parents and friends about careers.
• Talk with professors about their interests.
• Enroll in a career exploration or career survey course (offered by many
colleges).
• Talk to academic advisers about majors and requirements.
• Attend career fairs to learn about careers.
• Participate in groups or activities that will enhance their educational
experience.
SOPHOMORE
• Do job shadowing.
• Conduct informational interviews.
• Get involved with the college mentor program right away in the fall.
• Enroll in a career exploration course.
• Join their field's professional society. (Many have student chapters
on campus.)
• Take career workshops on résumé-writing and interviewing.
• Begin exploring graduate school programs.
• Look for a summer internship.
JUNIOR
• Update résumé.
• Attend career fairs to find out about summer intern positions.
• Select preferred graduate schools.
• Prepare for and take appropriate graduate school admissions tests (GRE,
GMAT, LSAT, MCAT).
• Investigate financial opportunities for graduate school.
• Research potential employers and conduct informational interviews.
• Visit the career office to check on job listings and on-campus interviewing.
SENIOR
• Update résumé.
• Begin the job search right away in fall semester.
• Complete graduate school application.
• Ask professors to write letters of recommendation.
• Attend career fairs.
• Prepare for any professional-level certification exams, such as the EIT
(Engineer in Training), nursing boards, CPA, etc.
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