The College to Career Pipeline
Everybody knows that the whole reason we go to college is to get a job. Whether you want to pursue a job straight out of undergrad, or continue on in a higher education program, the reality of the college to career pipeline is that a career is the end goal. So where does Tufts fall in your journey to find a career?
Throughout my time at Tufts, I have taken advantage of five main sources of career exploration.
1) Handshake- Handshake is a job search platform on which all Tufts students have an account. Through Handshake, you can search for jobs, apply for jobs, and view upcoming Career Center events. I found this platform particularly helpful when I was looking for jobs for this summer, and I got multiple job offers for internships that I found on Handshake. I also find it useful just to see what’s out there, and I’ve spent countless hours looking at job postings to learn what kind of qualifications employers require.
2) The Career Center- Through Handshake, students can make appointments to speak with counselors at the career center. They have various different kinds of appointments, spanning from short cover letter and resume reviews, to longer career counseling appointments. I’ve sought advice through both types. The center also hosts the annual career fair, through which students sometimes receive job offers. They also organize a variety of events and panels throughout the year.
3) The Herd- The Herd is another resource through the Career Center. It is a separate platform that displays Tufts alums who are open to talking to students about their careers. A few months ago, I signed into my free account because I was curious to learn more about careers in fundraising and development, and I was able to set up an informational interview with the very first woman I contacted. We talked for about half an hour, during which I took diligent notes. Talking to people about what they do is a really great way to figure out what path you want to pursue after school.
4) Professors- Many professors have connections in high places and can put you in touch with people who are looking for interns. My Creating Children’s Media professor, Professor Julie Dobrow, sends out internship listings almost every week. She also brings in a guest speaker on a weekly basis, which is an easy way to hear about many different careers in the field. Furthermore, I got super lucky my sophomore fall and fell into an internship with Professor Tina Weber, working for her admissions consulting start-up, A Starting Line (check out my blog “Dare to Ask: How I Got My Internship” for more details). As you can see, the opportunities are plentiful!
5) Kappa Alpha Theta- I’ve found many career opportunities through my sorority as well. A few weeks ago, I put together a career fair (see picture above) for our current Theta sisters. Local Theta alums came and spoke about their careers, and Thetas could go from table to table, asking any questions they had. In addition, my leadership positions within the group have informed my career decisions too. Currently, I am the VP of External Affairs, which means that I work with philanthropy, among other things. This role helped me discover a passion for fundraising and development – hence why I used The Herd to learn more about careers within this sphere of interest.
Tufts has afforded me many opportunities to learn about careers through internships, guest speakers, events, informational interviews, and online platforms; however, the old saying “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink” comes into play here as well. Tufts will give you the resources you need, but you need to take advantage of them. My Emma’s advice today is this: don’t be afraid to reach out. As a general rule, people love talking about what they do and they are more than happy to assist you as you figure out what route to take after college. Take advantage of all of your resources, and the college to career pipeline will be a seamless journey.