CAREER WEEK – TAKING TIME OUT TO FOCUS ON CAREER ACTIVITIES

With a BS program that is only five years old, and no prior record of “what next” for our students, we have always been focused on providing information on geoscience careers to our undergraduate population. Prior to the pandemic, our approach was traditional. We would hold in-person events during the semester that were optional for students, but heavily advertised and incentivized (e.g. with extra credit in classes). These included speakers from industry, government and academia, as well as talks by our campus careers office about their services. However, with the onset of the pandemic and fully remote learning for over 18 months, this approach was no longer viable. While it was theoretically possible to offer similar events online, it was obvious that it was enough of a struggle for our students to attend online classes, and optional extras were just too much effort for all. Realizing that our graduates probably needed career assistance more than ever, I decided to take a week out of my 300-level classes of juniors and seniors, and spend that week on only career activities instead of class work. This made participation mandatory, but without overburdening already stretched students.

Career week activities begin by exploring what is possible with an Earth science degree, using online resources from GSA, AGU and AGI. Our degree program includes a required internship, so this activity is useful for students who have not yet participated in one. Students who have completed their internship are required to make a short video presentation about the experience, so that other students in the class can learn from them. Then looking to the future, all students are required to compile a resume or CV, targeted broadly at industry, government or academia, using resources from the GSA website. They are also required to complete a LinkedIn profile, and to join our department LinkedIn group. This group includes faculty and alumni and so current students can see where our recent graduates are working now and connect with them. I also us this page to share internship and employment opportunities.

Now that we have returned to in-person classes, I intend to keep running this “Career Week” program every fall semester. Student feedback has been positive, and it will continue to complement our return to bringing speakers to campus events.