Ever since I was in middle school I knew I wanted to be a meteorologist when I grew up. I am now a senior majoring in meteorology and have recently discovered that being a meteorologist is no longer my career goal (which was a hard fact to admit!). Thankfully, there are many great resources here at Iowa State to help students find the right path for them and to prepare for a future career.
Career Exploration Services
The first resource I used here at Iowa State was the career coaching service. This is a fantastic resource for students that don’t know what they want to do and need a little guidance. When I visited the center, I sat down one-on-one with a career coach to help me think through what I want in a job. I then was allowed to take an aptitude test to find what skills are my strongest and was then given resources to look up jobs that align with my strongest skills. As if that isn’t enough to help someone find a good career for them, there is also an entire wall covered in books that describe specific professions to help students find the right fit for them. I am very glad I stopped into the Career Exploration Services.
Academic Advisers
Now that I had a little more direction with what I wanted to do after I graduate, I began contacting academic advisers in the respective departments to gain more insight into the programs here at Iowa State and what I might have to do to prepare for graduate school in these areas. Because I went and spoke to academic advisers, I found out about some internships and instantly applied! After I applied, I knew I needed to spruce my resume up and get prepared. I contacted a fantastic adviser to assist me with revamping my resume to be more geared towards this new path. This adviser worked very hard to help me completely redo my resume in a few hours to make the deadline for applying for this internship.
Career Services
After speaking with academic advisers in the new fields I was looking at, I stopped by Career Services to work on preparing my resume and interview skills. Taren Crow and Tabatha Carney are the two wonderful women in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Services Center that will help students with resume touch up, mock interviews, and interview strategies. Mock interviews are nice because they help one prepare for upcoming interviews they may have. This helps to work out nerves and to find weaknesses that can be worked to ace the real interview! It also helped me realize the many ways in which I can apply the degree I have loved to complete with the new career goals I have set in place.
Career Fair
Photo Cred: Lauren "Apple" WalkerWith my new and improved resume and gained confidence from practicing interviews, I went to the Career Fair to speak with potential employers. I did all my research before I went. I went to career fair preparation sessions put on by Iowa State. I researched all the companies, mapped out my route, picked out my outfit and went on my way! The Career Fair is a perfect place to speak with hundreds of companies that want to hire Iowa State students all under one roof. It is a great time to network, work on professional skills, and to get your foot in the door.
Career Preview Days
One resource I have not used here at Iowa State because I missed the deadline to sign up is the Career Preview Days. This service offers students a unique way to gain insight into their field of interest. Through this service, students will be connected with an Iowa State Alumnus working in their area of interest. Through this connection, students can set up shadow opportunities to get a better understanding of what their field of study has to offer and ask questions about the future profession. Through this experience, students will receive information on how to prepare for the shadow, tips on how to prepare, what to expect, possible questions to ask, tips on networking and further information on how to prepare for the working world while still in college.
I am rather disappointed I missed the opportunity to sign up for the Career Preview Days but I have plenty of other resources to help me prepare for my future! It wasn’t easy to realize that what I thought I wanted to do was no longer where my passions were. Thankfully, Iowa State and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has plenty of resources available to help students find their perfect career! Posted by: Lauren "Apple" Walker