Major Decisions: Discovering Your Path at Michigan

July 16, 2012

“Is there a ‘test’ I can take to help prepare me for my future Michigan experience?”

a signpost pointing to various cities

The Career Center Presents:

Major Decisions: Discovering Your Path at Michigan 

Take the Strong Interest Inventory® Career Assessment TODAY and explore your future opportunities through learning about YOU!

The Strong Interest Inventory® (SII) is a widely respected career interest inventory designed to help people find a fit between their personalities and work. It compares your interests and preferences to the interests of people who have been happy and satisfied in their careers. The results from the SII identify careers that best fit a person’s interests.

The SII results will be used to guide meaningful conversation, providing a space for students to engage in intentional reflection and learn effective decision making strategies geared towards academic and career related choices. Within this 1.5 hour session, we will help you identify majors, student organizations, and activities at Michigan that will help in the exploration of your personal interests and career possibilities.

Session will include:

  • Career Assessment Test and Group Interpretation
  • Reflection Exercises With Fellow Prospective Students
  • Valuable Career and Concentration Resources
  • Ongoing Support Through a Career Coach and the Career Center

Session cost: $20.00

**This program is not part of orientation and should not be scheduled while students are attending mandatory orientation sessions**

Dates are from August 27 to August 31 2012.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/careercenter-major-decisions to register.

Photo Credit: will ockenden / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Design Jams and Future Work Skills

April 12, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we hear from a couple first-year students who participated in Immersion Excursions. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

Yes, I realize we’re one day early here, but we didn’t want you to miss this!

Have you ever heard of a Design Jam? It’s a ~2 hour event where groups of students brainstorm and respond to a problem statement presented by an external company representative. There’s one coming up tomorrow (April 13th) with Ford Motor Company, focused on mobility:

The growing number of mega-cities in the developing world will require us to completely re-think personal transportation as congestion, parking and pollution increase. By 2015, it is projected that there will be at least 35 Mega Cities with populations greater than 10 million. No one company or industry will be able to solve the mobility issue alone; therefore collaboration, communication and common global frameworks are required. The challenge is to develop new business models to determine how Ford will be relevant in these mega-cities as personal vehicles are banned or become impractical.

Why should you attend this sort of event, you ask? Consider the Future Work Skills 2020 report, released by the Apollo Research Institute. The report lists 10 skills that will be vital for future success in the workforce, including novel and adaptive thinking, cross-cultural competency, transdisciplinarity, virtual collaboration, and design mindset. It’s a pretty good bet that you can start improving on those skills by attending the design jam. Taking advantage of these sorts of opportunities is important while you’re here in Ann Arbor — they’re one of the things that separates Michigan from other universities.

If you’re interested in participating, please email Jean Leverich, Program Director – Living Arts (Leverich@umich.edu).

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: First-Year Students at Immersion Excursions

April 6, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we hear from a couple first-year students who participated in Immersion Excursions. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

UM students at the Valassis Immersion Excursion

Valassis Immersion

Before I attended the Valassis Immersion, a friend of mine from the business school told me at the Career Fair in February that I need to gain marketing skills if I want to be a Sports Agent. The idea sounded logical since I do have to market my clients well to different coaches and general managers. My career advisor in the Emerging Wolverines program (which every freshman should join) sent an email about Valassis. I wanted to learn different options with my degree, so I applied. Valassis employees were ecstatic, friendly, and open to answer every question we had. I did not think they would pay close attention to my resume because I am a freshman but they did. Last week, they emailed me about a job position. In this case, do not be afraid to take chances because you never know what opportunities will come to you.

Starcom and Red Frog Events Immersion

I was given the unique opportunity to speak with Associates and Supervisors at Chicago companies Starcom MediaVest Group and Red Frog Events. Participation in this event introduced me to influential individuals and educated me about a small fraction of the business world. I started the day at Starcom, where the company provided us with a great opportunity to start networking. After a comprehensive presentation about their daily tasks within the company, we had a chance to ask employees questions about their careers. I learned about the different Strategy and Activation teams involved in the company as well as the responsibilities of a potential intern. I was truly impressed with their level of professionalism and the awards that Starcom has received over time.

After a wonderful experience at Starcom, we continued with a tour of Red Frog Events. This event-planning company has unparalleled work ethic and enthusiasm. Inside their office is a tree house, a conference table that substitutes swings for chairs, a living pet frog, and a climbing wall. But the most incredible part about it is that none of these entertaining things inhibit productivity. The employees clearly enjoyed their work environment and were motivated to succeed within it.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Don’t wait around for experience to find you!

March 30, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we look at a couple examples of students who didn’t want to wait around to gain experience. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending TEDxUofM, an event inspired by the famous TED conference which is devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” 19 speakers made up of University faculty, alumni, and current students focused on transforming the way we think about topics like education, public health, and societal paradigms. All the presentations were fantastic, but I found the ones by current students to be particularly inspiring. I often encounter students who have a strong desire and passion for a particular field, and all they want is an internship or job that will allow them to gain the ever-elusive “experience.” The reason the TED student presenters stood out to me is that they are all examples of students who decided that they didn’t need some sort of official position to gain experience — that they could take a their passion and an idea and work to make it happen:

Filmic Productions

The members of Filmic Productions met in an Intro to Film Production class, and soon after began to work beyond the boundaries of the classroom, entering film competitions and completing work for an ever more prestigious list of clients. You may have seen their work “Stay in the Blue: The Man” featured on the big screen at The Big House:

Stay in the Blue: “The Man” from Filmic Productions on Vimeo.

Detroit Treads

Detroit Treads is a social venture created by students from the Integrated Product Development course at the Tauber Institute, and members of their team spoke about the importance of bridging the gap between academics and the “real world.” Treads is a product of that way of thinking, a venture with the aim to “create a unique, stylish and sustainable sandal that affords wearers’ a comfortable way to express their Detroit pride, while empowering Cass Community Social Services (CCSS) workers to gain vital skills and work experience.”

You can view the full list of presenters at the TEDxUofM website. Hopefully they inspire you to get out there and start exploring your passions too!

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Undergraduate Research Opportunities

March 16, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we’re highlighting a great way to take advantage of one of the things this campus is known for — research! It’s not only for science majors, so be sure to take a look no matter what your major! You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

Undergrad Research Opportunity Program - What could you do with six hours if you made the time?

What could you do with 6 hours a week if you made the time? That’s the question that UROP (the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) wants you to consider as you think about how you’ll spend your time Sophomore year.

Research isn’t just for science majors. Through UROP, you can get involved in research and creative projects that span all sorts of disciplines including the social sciences and humanities. Some past projects included opportunities to :

  • Record & collect the voices of women who helped begin the Chicana/o movement.
  • Help a 24 year old make a video about what if means to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole
  • Learn about the environment and how it’s possible to use the environment to help re-vitalize a dying city
  • Be inspired by the moon and stars to create art and imagery that will hang in a virtual museum

In addition to the health and engineering fields, UROP provides opportunities in areas such as anthropology, art, communications, dance, education, ethnic studies, and music. If you’re are interested in participating but have questions, you can take a look at the UROP website, email urop.info@umich.edu, or come to today’s Info Session:

March 16, 2012, 4pm – 5pm
General UROP Info Session
1160 Undergraduate Science Building

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Career Exploration Events

March 9, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we’re highlighting some upcoming events that are great for first-year students exploring their career options. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

Aside from the individual appointments that we offer at The Career Center, we also host a number of programs throughout the year focused on helping students explore various career paths and connect with professionals out in the working world. Here’s a few upcoming events that are a great fit (or specifically created!) for first-year students:

Career Crawl: Exploring Careers with a Liberal Arts Degree
March 13th at 6pm, at The Career Center (SAB)

participants at a career crawl event

Michigan alumni from a diverse range of majors and industries will be on-hand to meet with students in a fun, speed-networking format. This event is lively and informal – your chance to ask successful alums about their job or internship search, tips for making the most of your time here at Michigan…or anything else on your mind!

To attend, students must register in advance and space is limited. Students from all academic majors and class levels are welcome to sign-up. First and second year students are especially encouraged to attend. Space will be on a first come, first served basis.

To RSVP:
1. Login into your Career Center Connector account, making sure your Profile is up to date.
2. Click on the “Workshops and Employer Events” tab and select “Workshops” where you will find “Career Crawl: Exploring Careers with a Liberal Arts Degree”. Sign-ups will be available until all spaces are closed, after which time you will be placed on a waitlist. 

*This event is sponsored by The Career Center and LSA Newnan Academic Advising Center

Career Crawl: Freshman Focus!
March 23rd at 1pm, at The Career Center (SAB)

Whether you are wondering about choosing a major, finding a summer internship, exploring career options, or any other “career” questions on your mind… this event is for you!

Rotating in small groups with other first year students, you’ll have the chance to meet with our knowledgeable student advisors who have successfully navigated job, internship, and grad school searches, and who can offer advice and insight on making the most of your time at Michigan!

To attend, students must register in advance and space is limited.

To RSVP:
1. Login into your Career Center Connector account, making sure your Profile is up to date.
2. Click on the “Workshops and Employer Events” tab and select “Workshops” where you will find “Career Crawl: Freshman Focus!” Sign-ups will be available until all spaces are closed, after which time you will be placed on a waitlist.

Student Affairs Immersion Excursion
March 30th from 10am-12pm, at The Career Center (SAB)

students meeting with employers at an immersion excursion event

Student Affairs professionals are the staff members you may work with every day in your dorm, student organization, or service learning project. They may be the people you turn to for support of health and wellness or mediating a conflct, exploring your identity, or finding your passion! Learn about what it might be like to work on a college campus and discover why so many people find working with YOU so inspiring!

The Career Center is excited to bring you the opportunity to spend the morning exploring the field of student affairs. Participants will be given the chance to learn about opportunities in the field, explore case studies, hear about a typical “day in the life” of a student affairs professional, meet enthusiastic staff from across campus, and find out about next steps including advice on graduate school.

Interested students should view the “Student Affairs Immersion Excursion” posting in the Jobs/Internships tab of their Career Center Connector account (Job ID: 23069). Applications are due by March 18.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Spring Break Reading

February 24, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we’re highlighting a few short books about work and careers. Pick one up and read it over Spring Break if you have time! You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

You’ve made to Spring Break! Whether you’re sticking around Ann Arbor, heading home, or traveling somewhere interesting, hopefully you’ll have at least a little bit of downtime to relax and recharge before finishing up your freshman year. In case you have a little extra time, consider taking the opportunity to do a little bit of reading to explore an interest area, or to learn something new related to one of your passions. Here’s a few of our favorites:

Work on Purpose - Laura Galinsky with Kelly Nuxoll

Work on Purpose tells the stories of five changemakers and their journeys from struggle and uncertainty to significance and success. Through these true-life narratives, Work on Purpose offers its readers a simple—yet powerful—framework: Heart + Head = Hustle. In other words, personal fulfillment and societal impact are the result of aligning passion and talents.

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative - Austin Kleon

Steal Like An Artist Book Trailer from Austin Kleon on Vimeo.

How to Self-Destruct - Jason Seiden

Do people really want to fail?! No.

Wait, I take that back. Yes. Most people have good intentions, but when those intentions bounce up against the hard work required to turn them into reality, spectacular behavior often ensues.

How to Self-Destruct is the first real career book built around how people like you actually experience real life.

(Look around: the challenges you face, are they created by successful people doing what’s right? Or just imagining themselves doing what’s right?)

REWORK - Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you’re looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf. Rework shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business. Read it and you’ll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don’t need outside investors, and why you’re better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think. You don’t need to be a workaholic. You don’t need to staff up. You don’t need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don’t even need an office. Those are all just excuses. What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way. You’ll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Find your passion early

February 17, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we’re focusing on summer jobs and internships. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

card with the word "passion" written on itBecoming passionate about something aside from schoolwork can have effects that enrich your college experience and reverberate far beyond your college years. Doing something because you want to, not because you have to, can boost your self-esteem, help with time-management and give you that awesome “do-gooder” high. While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the first years of college, taking a few steps outside your comfort zone will pay off.

Here’s what a few students had to say about finding their passion early in college:

Paul Lee, senior at U of M and director of 58 Greene, an A Capella group on campus.

On finding his passion early in college…

“I auditioned for 58 Greene the first semester of my freshman year. I was definitely intimidated at first because I was new to college and the whole time management thing, but I grew attached to the people and the group. They became friends and family. “

On how being part of a group enriched his college years…

“If I had only focused on academics in college, I would not have enjoyed school as much as I did and still do. 58 Greene helped me to get away from schoolwork and balance the stress of college. It helped to be able to look forward to practice or performances. Though things did get busy at times, it added a necessary component to my life.”

On how his passion for 58 Greene will impact his future…

“Being a part of the group helped me develop two very important skills that I will use in my future. Firstly, as a leader in the group starting my junior year, I learned leadership skills which I think are important in almost any field. Secondly, I learned how to manage a group of very different, strongly opinionated people.”

Michael Maiorano, senior at U of M and director of Students for Educational Equality, a group which aims to provide opportunities for educationally disadvantaged students in the Detroit area.

On why he became passionate about the student group…

“I feel like a lot of times, you need to at least start with money in order to make a big difference, but this group allowed me to gather resources and make a big impact despite not having a lot of money. I feel like it was a blank slate that I could invest a lot of time and effort in, which is a great feeling.”

On how being involved in the group throughout college affected his college experience…

“Working with low SES (socio-economic status) students allowed me to see how many of the concepts I learn about in school play out in real life, so I was able to learn way more than I would have in the classroom alone. Also, I learned how to manage a relatively large-scale operation, which forced me to use time efficiently and become organized.”

On what he will take from the experience beyond college…

“I’ve learned a lot about people. I’ve seen that people are extremely fragile and sensitive to external influences. With this knowledge in mind, I hope to revisit the work I’ve done with SEE later down the road on a larger scale because I’ve seen the need for improvement in the way we structure our education system across different levels of society. I’d eventually like to be involved in bettering the system.”

Get out there and start exploring your passion! Whether that’s research, service, or student organization involvement, there’s a good chance you can find a way to do it right here on campus.

Photo credit:
neilconway / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Nell Gable

Freshman Friday: Finding a summer job or internship

February 10, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we’re focusing on summer jobs and internships. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

Many first year students who come into our office have one very clear goal: securing an internship. Having that goal is a great first step, but it’s also important to be clear about the why, what, where and how of the internship search. Without this clarity, finding a meaningful summer experience can be very challenging. Fortunately, if you’re struggling with these things, you’ve come to the right place! If you need help finding a summer job or internship, here’s a few things you can expect to find at The Career Center:

Developing your Story

Our career coaches begin by talking with students about their “story” — their likes, dislikes, values, interests, and passions. We might ask what classes you’re enjoying or what majors you’re considering. We might explore your involvement in campus organizations, roles you’ve taken on, personality traits you feel proud of, or skills you have developed in your first year at Michigan. Reflecting and building on your story helps you to make better choices about industries or organizations you might want to explore. This also aids in defining your goals and purpose for engaging in a summer job or internship.

Assessing fit

To learn about available opportunities, you can tap into our online posting system, Career Center Connector or the many other internship resources linked from our website. You may be faced with first time decisions about the experience you’re seeking, such as organization size, office culture, location preference, etc. We stress the importance of vetting options carefully before committing. One of our previous posts offers some tips and strategies when evaluating options to help you make informed choices about your summer break.

One summer… lots of ways to make it count!

At The Career Center we believe strongly in the value of experiential learning, and encourage students to understand that this experience can take many different forms. This is especially true for freshman since internships can be extremely competitive, with some open to upper class students only. So rather than emphasizing the prestige of an organization or the job title, you should focus on finding avenues that best help you explore. Some students may spend their whole summer with one organization, but others find ample learning opportunities through job shadowing, volunteering, informational interviewing, a part-time job, or a combination of these avenues. Ultimately, students who pursue opportunities with intention have the most meaningful summer experiences.

Putting the pieces together

One of the greatest benefits of a meaningful summer experience is not just the “doing” but the exposure it gives you to help in making more informed choices, in and out of the classroom, when you return to campus. As you experience your first summer as a college student, be sure to reflect (with family, friends, or us) about what you’re enjoying about your summer, and perhaps what you also find challenging. These conversations are a great foundation for a successful sophomore year!

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Posted by genih

Freshman Friday: Advice from Alumni

February 3, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we focus on getting advice from Michigan grads, in the form of alumni profiles. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

I wish that I knew what I know now

When I was younger

- Ooh La La, Faces

It’s a common theme in music for a reason — we’re often left feeling as though our younger selves could’ve benefitted from the sage advice we could provide right now, if only it were possible. Since time travel isn’t an option, the next best thing is to seek out advice from those who have walked a similar path before you. Lucky for us, UofM has one of the largest living alumni bodies in the world.

We’re always looking for recent graduates to provide advice to current students, and we catalog that advice in our alumni profiles. The profiles cut across a ton of different industries and majors, and provide great advice on how to make the most of your time here at Michigan. Did you know that a couple other departments here at the university also have some great alumni profiles?

Communication Studies
Take a look at the Communication Studies blog, particularly their ongoing ‘Alumni Guest Blogger‘ series. The past few weeks have featured UM alumni working at CNN, Radio Disney, and Google!

English
The English Department has an entire section of their website, entitled “What can I do with a degree in English?” Quite a lot, it turns out! The nearly 40 profiles represent industries like writing/publishing, teaching, medicine, law, communications, and consulting.

Psychology
The Psychology Department has its own page of alumni profiles, featuring Michigan Psychology grads involved in health, education, research, marketing, and more!

We’re probably missing some, so please let us know in the comments if there are any other great collections of Michigan alumni advice!

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

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