Career Path Timeline

Are you a freshman and don’t know where to start? Or, are you graduating in a semester and feel overwhelmed with how much there is to do? BYU Career Services has a Career Path Timeline! This timeline is a way to check where you should be and what you could be doing right now.

Explore

Career Exploration Classes - To receive direction in selecting a major, finding your career and to explore the many options out there, our counselors teach Career Exploration Classes available for everyone! STDEV 117 is taught every semester.

Personality Assessments - Our neighbors in the Career and Academic Success Center (2590 WSC) have personality tests available. These tests may be helpful for students choosing a major and/or career path. If you have more questions about the CASC click here: http://ccc.byu.edu/casc/

Job Shadow and Informational Interviewing - Some students prefer interacting directly with professionals in their career of interest. Participating in a job shadow or meeting with a professional to have an informational interview are a few ways to become more familiar with specific careers. 

 A job shadow is an unpaid experience where a student observes the workplace of a specific career. Informational interviewing is a time arranged by the student to meet with a professional to collect information about the career of interest.

Experience

Internships and Volunteer Work - Internships and volunteer opportunities may be found on campus, discussed with one of our advisors or found through your own personal connections. Remember, be on the look-out for opportunities around you and people who can connect you to good experiences for career preparation!

Job experience– Full-time jobs may be found through eRecruiting. eRecruiting is a great resource which allows employers from around the country to connect to BYU students. You can create your own profile and apply for jobs. eRecruiting specialists work in our office (2410 WSC) and are available to answer your questions.

Don’t forget part-time jobs; they are great opportunities to learn skills you will use in future positions and will make you more marketable as a potential employee! 

Mentored Research and Field Studies - For mentored research, talk to your department professors about the research being conducted on campus and how you can get involved in an area of research that interests you.

Taking a different approach, field study programs, provided through the Kennedy Center, give students the opportunity to travel to a location of your choice to conduct hands on, customized research. 

Skills

Building a Resume – Building a resume is vital to your career search. You need to have a high quality, professional resume, and our counselors are here to help you! Each of our counselors, along with our interns, are qualified in critiquing resumes and are very familiar with the expectations of employers in different fields. 

Networking – Networking is an essential skill to develop and takes work as well as practice. Information sessions and career fairs on BYU campus are great opportunities to network with employers from a variety of companies. The next General Career and Internship Fair is on Wednesday, January 25. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Fair is on Thursday, February 2. See our Career Fair webpage  for more details.

Career Strategies Classes - Career Strategies (STDEV 317) is another class available for all BYU students and will help you prepare for internships, employment, and grad school.

Interviewing - This part of your career path is essential and can seem daunting but you are not alone! Our counselors are available to practice mock interviews and answer your questions as you prepare you for your interview. Our office also has a list of commonly asked questions used in interviews.

In Conclusion…

It may feel like you have a lot to do but there are many people to help you. Take the first step, and come into 2410 WSC to setup an appointment with your counselor.

Abigail from the UCS Squad