In a few days the fall semester will be ending, or perhaps it already has (depending on when you are reading this). What are you going to do with your time over the winter break?
The time between semesters is a GREAT time to do some career planning. You should update (or create) your resume, refresh the contact information for your existing references and request new ones, and plan for your next career-related experience: will it be an internship? part-time job? volunteer opportunity? club involvement? leadership experience?
Each of these can build skills that employers look for and help you gain confidence and knowledge about the world outside your classes. NOW is the time to research companies and opportunities for the summer, and get those applications started. Activate and use your free account on Nittany Lion Career Network, our on-line job board.
Or maybe you are still exploring potential career fields and should use this time to do some research on areas of interest.
One great resource is “What Can I Do With This Major?” found on the Career Services website. This site has information for over 50 academic fields, with strategies and links to other websites, to relate your major to various career fields.
Another site is O*Net,created for the US Dept. of Labor (DOL), or the on-line version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the DOL. Both of these sites have lots of information to help you learn about careers and specific fields.
If you’re tired of researching on-line, come into the Career Office and we can lend you any of a number of books on career planning and exploration from our library! Check us out!