In just a few short days, students will be leaving the Heights to celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a joyous time, and for some students, the first time they will venture home since the semester began. Thanksgiving is also one of the most festive times of the year. We gather together with family and friends, celebrate over a communal meal, and eat far too many desserts. What is not to like about that?
The Thanksgiving table can also be the place where many students get asked a lot of career-related questions for the first time. What are you going to major in? What are you going to do when you graduate? What type of summer experience might you be considering? These questions come from a loving place but they can inadvertently cause a certain level of stress without the right context. Don’t get me wrong—I encourage you to have career conversations with your students. They value your input more than almost anyone else and really want to have you as an ally throughout the career education process. Still, much has changed in career education since many of us were fortunate enough to attend college, so I wanted to share some insights that might help make these conversations even more productive.
Times change…and so does job hunting
For many of us, career fairs and on-campus interviewing were the only way to connect with employers. Not anymore. There are so many different outlets for job searches and networking now, including our alumni online network, AI, and virtual interviewing technology. Take Eagle Exchange, for example. Eagle Exchange is an online mentoring platform that connects students like yours to over 10,000 alumni that have volunteered to provide career advice to them. Encourage your daughter or son to visit the Career Center to learn more about the ways they can tap into the strong employer and alumni networks. We are here to help.
Employers care about competencies, not just coursework
Although majors are important, employers prioritize competencies students develop rather than specific classes. If they can write competently, it does not matter whether they honed that skill through classes or working on a student publication (although it would be great to do both). Having a broad, well-rounded skill set is so much more important than just adhering to a rigid path. BC even has a website that lets students know more about the skills employers are most seeking so they can prepare themselves in advance.
BC students do really well regardless of major
The proof is in the data: just look at how well BC graduates do out in the world after graduation. Perhaps most interesting, look how varied the majors can be for students who end up in the same industry. This is yet another illustration about how students can develop the same skills regardless of their specific major. What does this mean? It is perfectly okay for your student to major in anything provided they focus on developing skills too.
Experience counts
Just like Grandma’s recipes, some things stand the test of time, regardless of the changing world. Did you know that almost 80 percent of Boston College students have at least one internship prior to graduation and many have two or three? Gaining experience is not just a resume builder; it is a valuable chance to explore different career fields and develop the skills employers are looking for.
And no, the lesson here is not that you have to focus exclusively on internships. Internships are a great way to get experience, but there are so many other ways students can explore their interests and develop skills such as working in a lab, serving as a research assistant, volunteering, or participating in one of BC’s many service programs. They can also gain employment skills now through online programs such as Forage, which many Boston College students take advantage of.
Encourage your student to visit the Career Center early
Most students have an adjustment period to college, when they are acclimating to college life. That is normal. Their first priority should be to settle in, keep up with their academics, develop friendships and get involved in the campus community in some way. It would be helpful if first-years planned to visit the Career Center once during their second semester. We're not just the place to help students secure jobs or internships, though. We can also play a vital role in helping them figure out how to align who they are with what they do. We can help them explore possible career paths, recognize their gifts and talents, and make significant connections that will help them design a career that is meaningful to them. Please encourage them to come see us!
Joe Du Pont, JD AVP, Career Services