A Four-year Plan
- Work with a Career Center advisor to identify interests, skills, and values and learn how these relate to career fields
- Take a broad selection of courses as a means of previewing options for further study and a major
- Begin exploring a variety of careers (even if you "know" what you want to do) by attending career workshops, searching the web or by exploring written and on-line materials in the Career Resource Room
- Keep your career objectives open, but think about what you might like to do
- Participate in the workshop entitled "Choosing Your Major" sponsored by the Career Center
- Initiate meetings with faculty members to learn about college majors.
Gather information about educational programs, clubs, and majors
- Gain work experience via volunteer work or a paid summer job
- Learn to develop an effective résumé
- Explore career development more thoroughly through individual career advising
- Attend Career Center programs and workshops like Finding an Internship
- Schedule informational interviews with professionals in the Fox Valley community
- Develop and refine computer skills
- Check out internship, volunteer, and summer employment opportunities with a career advisor (begin this process early for best results)
- Find a summer job or internship in a field in which you are interested
- Update your résumé with newly gained experiences and skills
- By the end of the year, select your college major
- Explore graduate school programs related to your area of interest
- Take appropriate graduate school entrance exams in spring or register for fall exams
- Identify specific courses needed for graduate study or specific careers
- Concentrate on your major and make contacts with faculty members who may help with your planning
- Identify faculty and others who may write references for you.
- Begin to collect information on potential employers by attending career fairs, such as Workforce, the annual job and internship fair sponsored by the Wisconsin private colleges
- Arrange informational interviews with alumni and employers during term breaks to learn about specific careers
- Discuss your career plans with family and friends
- Attend workshops on job searching (résumé writing and interview)
- Continue to update your résumé
- Obtain a summer internship, volunteer experience, or job in your field of interest
- Decide whether you are going to enter the job market with a bachelor's degree or go on for further study
- Finalize graduate school applications in early fall; have graduate school essays reviewed by career counselors and faculty
- Start working with a career counselor early in the fall to develop a job search plan
- Develop a job target
- Begin preparing tailored résumés and cover letters for specific job targets
- Identify potential employers, send résumés, and cover letters
- Participate in mock interviews
- Identify on-campus interview opportunities
- Attend Workforce, the annual job fair sponsored by the Wisconsin private colleges
Revised from Career Planning During College Minichar 25-1 prepared by the Career Opportunities News. Ferguson, an imprint of Infobase Publishing, Inc.
