CAREER EXPLORATION
College Experience
"The things taught in schools and colleges
are not an education, but the means of an education."
-RALPH WALDO EMERSON
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COLLEGE & CAREER
"The most relevant problems for graduate and undergraduate students are vocational
choice and career planning."
-KRAMER, BERGER & MILLER/1974
"In a survey of college student needs, 80% wanted to explore job opportunities related to
their major, 77% expressed a need to develop job-seeking skills, and 72% expressed
the desire to learn how to prepare for their careers. When compared to other needs
surveyed, career guidance needs were expressed more often."
-M. WEISSBERG/1982
"Eighty-five percent of college students surveyed expressed a need for (1) information
on occupations for which their majors were preparing them, (2) knowledge of places and
people on campus that could help them in career planning, (3) more direct experiences
-- such as part-time work and job visits -- in occupations they were considering, (4)
better understanding so they could choose occupations that closely fit their values, goals
and lifestyle preferences, (5) knowledge of the job market, and (6) help to plan college
courses that would give them more flexibility in choosing among different occupations."
-WALTER & SADDLEMIRE/1979
"Forty-two percent of high school students responding to a questionnaire indicated that
they needed help with educational and vocational plans."
-AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING/1992
"Almost half of college students change majors and even more change career goals
while in college."
-V.G. ZUNKER/1994
"The annual survey of incoming freshman students indicates that the number one reason
students choose to attend college is to get a better job."
-UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO/1995
COLLEGE ADVANTAGE
“Students with college experience have distinct advantages over their high school
counterparts. There are significant occupational status differences between high school
& college graduates that are sustained throughout life. Individuals with a bachelor's
degree are more likely to obtain high-status managerial, technical and professional jobs.
College graduates are less likely to be unemployed than high school graduates. College
graduates are seen by employers as possessing requisite skills and values that make
them more desirable for employment and advancement. College graduates enjoy
significantly higher levels of career mobility and advancement. College tends to develop
a capacity for critical judgment and evaluation that in turn provides sensitivity to
shortcomings of jobs. Socialization in college increases student occupational aspirations.
College may enhance occupational success by facilitating development of traits that
describe a psychologically mature person (reflective intelligence, empathy, altruism,
ability to combine a variety of views, stability and autonomy).”
- PASCAREL & TERENZI / 1991
EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
"As long as instruction and life do not merge in our colleges, so long as what the
undergraduates do and what they are taught occupy two separate, air-tight
compartments in their consciousness, so long will college be ineffectual."
-WOODROW WILSON / US President
"In the classroom there is more teaching than learning. Outside the classroom there is
more learning than teaching. Some students are so busy going to classes that they
have little time to get an education."
-EDGAR DALE / Author & Educator
"Realize there are other aspects of the college experience -- besides the classroom -that are important too."
-WILLIAM COBB / English Professor & Author
"The total university experience is far more than the opportunity to pursue one's career
goals in the classroom. It also offers the unique opportunity to serve and be served and
to lead and be led. An essential part of your education is linked to the opportunity to
participate in student organizations and activities. Leadership, character development
and socialization of an individual are enhanced when one chooses to affiliate and
participate actively in one of our campus student organizations."
-FREDA SHIVERS / Student Affairs Professional
"Campus experiences outside the classroom enhance and expand the education a
student receives while in college. Extracurricular activities are an extension of one's
college education over and above the pursuit of a degree and clearly make the student
more valuable and marketable upon graduation."
-MICHAEL LEBEAU / College Career Counselor
"I would advise today's students to be adaptable. Since you don't know exactly what you
want to do, be willing to do a lot of different things. Get your foot in the door. Careers are
fluid."
-COLLEGE GRADUATE / Middlebury College
"College didn't fit me for any certain career, but it taught me how to learn."
-COLLEGE GRADUATE / Cal State Univ Fresno
"We frequently see straight A students who can't make the cut. A pathetic preoccupation
with grades seems to clog the entryway for other experiences."
ROBERT ARMSTRONG / Manager
"Be prepared for a new and different world; you will find yourself caught up in a country
awash with change."
-ELIZABETH DOLE
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Employers continually express a strong preference for candidates with experience that
goes beyond mere academic credentials. With more and more college graduates
entering today's competitive job market, it becomes necessary for candidates to
demonstrate how their college experience yielded more than just a degree. Employers
seek candidates who gained additional experience during their college tenure through
involvement in campus organizations, internships, community service projects and parttime jobs.
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
Through active participation in campus clubs and organizations, students are provided
an opportunity to use and develop their skills in leadership, interpersonal relations, event
planning, committee membership, fund raising and a variety of other skills that can easily
transfer to the workplace. Volunteer activities also offer students the chance to gain
valuable experience through a wide range of community service projects and
philanthropic efforts.
Practical experience in a risk-free environment can be gained through internships,
cooperative education, and part-time or temporary jobs. In addition to acquiring careerrelated knowledge and skills, students are able to make important personal contacts
within their field of interest. It is a chance for them to get their foot in the door.
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UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
Students have available to them a wealth of on-campus opportunities related to their
professional growth. Most university campuses offer, at little to no cost to the student,
numerous chances throughout the school year to attend career information fairs, career
issues forums, employment interview sessions, job skills workshops and other careerrelated events. A variety of training, counseling, advising and assessments await the
student who realizes the intrinsic value of these offerings. The extent to which college
students actively take advantage of the many resources and services offered for their
development will be reflected in their level of preparedness and employability upon
graduation.
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PREPARATION
College students should begin in their Freshman year preparing for the world of work.
According to career counselors, by the time a student completes his or her Senior year,
he or she should have accomplished some, if not all, of the following activities:
Career Testing
Visit Career Center
Job Shadowing
Part-time Job in Field
Voluntary Community Service
Get Help Writing a Resume
Learn Effective Interview Skills
Learn Effective Job Seeking Strategies
Talk with a Mentor
Talk with Professors about Career Goals
Attend Career Fairs
Join Professional Organizations
Internship or Co-op
Establish Professional Contacts
Attend a Professional Convention
Assume a Leadership Position
Participate in a Campus-Wide Project
Join a Campus Organization
Build a Prospect List
Read Material Related to Field
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EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn."
-BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
The concept of Experiential Education has been around for the last century and was
present in the creation of federal programs which combined work and study, such as the
Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, in the creation of vocational education
programs, in the emergence of Outward Bound and later the Peace Corps, and in the
prominence of Co-op and internship programs in the 1960s and early 70’s. Experiential
Education has seen a resurgence of popularity in programs that promote service
learning programs and other programs that promote intentional learning outcomes.
In its purest form, Experiential Education is a process that begins with “raw experience.”
This experience is filtered through an intentional learning format and transformed into
working, useable knowledge. It’s making meaning out of experience. The learning
formats most often associated with Experiential Education include cooperative
education, internships, outdoor education, organizational development and training (like
mentoring and shadowing), and service-learning.
“Experience happens; it is unavoidable. The true learning depends on how we make
meaning out of our experience.”
-JOHN DEWEY
“Today’s college students tend to prefer more concrete, hands-on learning experiences.
Our incoming class of freshman represent a new generation of students that can be
described as smart, ambitious, incredibly busy, and ethnically diverse. One other
characteristic about this generation is that they like to plan. They are focused on the
future and believe that any work they do today should be a planned and preparatory
investment for the permanent life they wish to lead tomorrow. They are more likely to
find summer jobs that serve the community or teach new professional skills than to
bother with jobs that simply generate spending money. The popularity of the word
internship is suggestive. The jobs this new generation of students find most attractive
are apprenticeships that promise to pay off over a lifetime.”
-HOWE & STRAUSS
REDUCING RISK
Experiential education provides practical opportunities for students to gather information
about their career goals while reducing the risk associated with pursuing one’s career
goals. Some career exploration activities are riskier than others. Some career
exploration activities require a greater level of involvement. Certainly, the greater the
involvement, the more irreversible the pursuit. Consider this “continuum of risk”
regarding the various activities involved in career exploration.
LOW RISK... Taking career assessments, reading the course catalogue, discussing
academic major requirements with your advisor or professor, reading a book about your
career options, visiting websites about your career options
MEDIUM RISK...
Conducting informational interviews, observing or shadowing
someone on the job, talking with a mentor, performing volunteer work
HIGH RISK... Internship, co-operative education, field experiences
LOW 0
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Career Assessment Career Research Career Exploration Experiential Education Fulltime Job
Students are advised to get involved in lower risk activities first before advancing to
higher risk activities. At any point during the research and exploration process a student
can feel comfortable about changing his or her mind about a particular career option.
Ultimately, the riskiest activity is entering a fulltime professional job without having
subjected oneself to preliminary activities that help to solidify and crystallize the decision.
INFORMATION INTERVIEWS
Each day you have the opportunity to talk with people about their jobs or careers. The
process of talking with people who have jobs that interest you is called "informational
interviewing." Informational interviewing is simply talking with someone who is currently
employed in a career that interests you. Your goal is to gather information that you need
in order to make a good decision.
Informational interviewing gives you the opportunity to interview an employer outside of
an employment setting. There are distinct advantages to gathering career information in
this way... The information is up-to-date. The information is local. You find out about
the specific job setting. People are often candid about telling you the pros and cons of
their jobs. And you are simultaneously developing a network of contacts.
Informational interviewing is a very effective method of investigating your career options.
People enjoy discussing their jobs and career fields. People are usually flattered that
you are seeking their advice. People tend to be empathetic about career transitions
because most have experienced the indecision and frustration associated with making a
career decision. And people generally like to help others because it makes them feel
good about themselves. For the most part, informational interviewing is a nonthreatening method of gathering vital information and developing a professional network.
What are the primary objectives of informational interviews? To investigate a specific
career field. To uncover areas that may have been unknown to you. To gain insight into
what is happening in a career field. To gain insight about future trends in a career field.
To obtain information that will help you to narrow options. To obtain advice on where
you might fit in. To learn the jargon and important issues in the field. To broaden your
own network of contacts for future reference.
JOB SHADOWING
A job shadowing experience provides the individual with the opportunity to observe a
worker on the job in the course of his or her actual workday. The worker agrees to be
shadowed or followed by an individual who is interested in learning more about his or
her particular line of work. The individual accompanies the worker in the performance of
his or her routine tasks and gathers valuable real world information about the field, the
particular occupation, and the job setting. Because information gathered under these onsite circumstances tends to be accurate and authentic, the individual is able to get a true
"feel" of the profession.
MENTORSHIP
A mentorship is a relationship set up between two individuals: a mentor and a protege.
The mentor is an individual who is actively involved in a professional pursuit. A protege
is an individual who meets with the mentor on an occasional basis to obtain firsthand
advice. As a protege, you can gather helpful information directly from someone in your
field of interest.
A mentor is someone respected and knowledgeable who can advise and coach you in
your field of interest. Seek advice from mentors experienced in the areas you want to
explore. Don't limit yourself to seeking advice from just one mentor. Look for people who
are open to your concerns, who can help you learn new skills, and who will take the time
to explain organizational dynamics to you. Keep your relationship businesslike. A true
mentor will develop an interest in you, make you aware of useful resources, and arrange
opportunities for you to meet key people and grow professionally. Strive to meet your
mentors' expectations for your performance.
"Share information about your background, your needs, and your aspirations. Discuss
goals to achieve your needs and aspirations. Set goals for yourself and follow through
on them. Do not be afraid to raise your expectations or redefine your goals as part of this
ongoing process. With your mentor, decide what steps will need to be taken to achieve
your goals. Assert yourself. The purpose of the mentoring relationship is to teach you.
Make sure you are learning. Be receptive to feedback and coaching. Feedback should
be perceived as an opportunity for growth. Pay attention to changes in your life or
attitudes that may call for updating your goals and objectives."
-MURREY & OWEN / 1991
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MICHAEL LEBEAU 2007