As students begin the spring semester, some return to the university for their last time as students.
Seniors and graduate students are preparing for life after college in careers spanning performance, nursing, criminal justice, and more. Kanika Brown, director of Career Services, said Career Services can help students with professional development.
“The first way students can prepare for their career is figuring out what path they want to take, whether it’s graduate school, a gap year or straight into their career,” Brown said.
Brown also said Career Services can assist students with personal statements, cover letters, resumes, job searches, interview preparation, and career advisements.
“I want people to know we’re here to get you ready for your professional career,” Brown said. “That can start as early as freshman year, the sooner the better.”
Tanner Loveless, criminal justice senior, said the resources at Career Services helped prepare him for job interviews.
“I went to career services my sophomore year and they helped me with my resume,” Loveless said. “They gave me an initial template format that I still use.”
All of the resources and assistance from Career Services are available to students at no cost, with the exception of the Strong Interest Inventory Assessment, which costs $20. Brown, who is certified in the assessment, said it is as much a personality test as it is a career test.
“It doesn’t tell you if you should be a doctor or a lawyer, but it gives you an idea of different things you’d like to do, what types of environments you like to work in and what types of places fit you best with your skill set,” Brown said.
Another resource available to students is the Handshake database, available to both current students and alumni.
“Handshake is our career platform, and it’s great because a lot of employers know about it and post job opportunities and internships,” Brown said. “We also post all of our Career Services events on Handshake.”
Career Services’ All Majors Career and Internship Fair will take place from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 in the Great Hall in the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Brown said a list of the employers who will attend the career fair can be found on Handshake.
In addition to moving on from college, some students plan on moving to new cities as well.
Loveless said he plans on moving near Dallas to work as a patrol officer, with the goal to eventually become a homicide detective. Besides not having homework anymore, Loveless said he is most looking forward to being on his own, though he will miss his friends.
“I encourage students to really take time to reflect on your friendships,” Loveless said. “The friends I made at this school in four years have made a great impact on me.”
Other students, like Sara Shomgard, dance senior, plan to pursue a career in the performance industry and aren’t sure what the future holds.
“As a performer, we can’t really say we have anything lined up, but it’s exciting because there are so many options,” Shomgard said. “I’m going to take advantage of all the audition opportunities I can. I’d be happy performing anywhere.”
Like Loveless, Shomgard said she is excited to graduate but will miss her friends.
“It’s a bittersweet excitement because I will miss OCU and all of the friends and faculty I’ve built relationships with, but it’s also a good feeling to know I feel confident in everything I’ve learned,” she said. “I look back on the last four years and know my time at OCU has been worth it and that I’ve learned so much that will help me with post-graduate employment.”
For any questions about Career Services and professional development resources, contact Brown at kbrown2@okcu.edu.
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