GUIDING CAREER EXPLORATION AND PLANNING THROUGH A CAREER COURSE FOR UNDERGRADUATE GEOSCIENCE MAJORS

We developed a 1-credit career course to promote career exploration and planning early in the undergraduate geoscience degree pathway. The course is based on Cognitive Information Processing Theory which prioritizes gaining knowledge about self and career options and guides students through a Communication, Analysis, Synthesis, Valuing, Execution Cycle. Students analyze their interests, values, and abilities as related to potential careers; investigate career options and their alignment with personal objectives; evaluate the skills and experiences needed to pursue careers of interest; practice tailoring job or internship applications so that they are competitive; and identify a career-related goal and create a plan for achieving it. Key course activities include self reflection, orientation to websites for career research, exploration of desired workforce skills, interactions with geoscience professionals as part of career panels, and discussions about professional licensure and graduate school.

Using a mixed-methods approach, we investigated the challenges geoscience undergraduate students face when considering a career, what resources students use to find career information, and the impacts of completing the career course. Data were collected from career course participants (n=30) via focus groups and course assignments over three iterations of the course, and from career course participants and a comparison group (n=69) via a career resource survey we created. Results demonstrate that geoscience students who have not taken the career course have little knowledge of what careers they can pursue with a geoscience degree, nor what job titles mean, nor how and where to search for jobs. Students report using a variety of resources to learn about careers and find jobs (e.g., job search websites, faculty advisors, friends), but no particular resource is used more than others. Students who took the career course were supported in exploring geoscience-related careers, identifying specific steps to pursue these careers, and meeting and connecting with professionals in a variety of geoscience careers (networking). Career course participants reported increased recognition of the value of their geoscience degree and increased confidence in their ability to identify and pursue careers of interest.