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Career readiness involves the exploration of potential vocational
possibilities to form short- and long-term career goals that fit an
individual's talents and interests. For each individual, this is an
active process of understanding one's self in relation to career options
and testing them through a variety of hands-on experiences, including:
- Conducting informational interviews with practicing
professionals.
- Engaging in an externship for as little as one week
(Spring Break), two weeks (Winter Break), and as much
as four weeks (June/early July or early/mid-September).
Externships are mostly observational, but sometimes
involve a short-term project.
- Participating in an internship, either exploratory
(summer preceding Sophomore or Junior year) or as a
foundation of a senior project (SIP). These experiences
are usually 8-13 weeks long, with a minimum of 240
hours.
- Securing a post-baccalaureate internship, upon graduation,
4-18 months in duration, and all compensated positions.
This option is well-suited for the new graduate who
still wishes to explore a career field before making
a longer-term commitment or before deciding upon a
spcialization for graduate study.
Self-presentation is an important skill in pursuing all of these program options.
The Center for Career Development is available for consultation
and direct assistance on this skill development, and in developing
leads/contacts for identifying, applying for, and securing any of these
kinds of experiential opportunities. |
