A Student Guide to Career Planning

Freshman Year

• Talk with your parents and/or mentors about the different career and major choices you are considering.

• Consider the advantages of taking a balanced course load the first year while adjusting to the transition of college life. Seventeen or eighteen semester hours may not be a realistic goal for most first year students.

• Take courses to explore your interests that will help narrow down a career focus. Trust your Baylor academic advisors. These professionals have graduate degrees and are highly qualified to assist you with a four-year graduation plan (www.baylor.edu/academic_advisement).

• Work to develop strong study and time management skills. High school study skills may not be adequate for college level work (www.baylor.edu/support_programs). • Schedule an appointment with a career counselor and begin the career counseling process (www.baylor.edu/careercounseling).

• Get involved in one or two campus activities or organizations related to your interests. This type of involvement can serve as a way to explore career options and will also begin the process of building a résumé (www.baylor.edu/student_activities/organizations).

• Brainstorm with your family members and mentors a list of friends or relatives that may work in a field that interests you. Job shadowing and information interviews are excellent ways to obtain additional information about a career path.

• Find a career-related job or internship experience during the summer to begin building your résumé (www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

Sophomore Year

• Choose a career path that fits your personality, interests, strengths, values and calling.

• Remember that choosing a major is a process and requires diligent work on your part.

• Make use of the career counseling services that are provided free of charge by Baylor University (www.baylor.edu/careercounseling).

• Build your résumé by finding a career-related job or internship experience during the summer (www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

• Seek assistance to improve your grades (www.baylor.edu/support_programs).

Junior Year

• Get to know your professors. Letters of recommendation from faculty members are valuable resources for obtaining internship and job opportunities.

• Obtain leadership responsibilities in clubs or organizations. This is a way of developing marketable work skills.

• Contact Career Services for résumé assistance (www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

• Continue to build your résumé by obtaining experience related to your career goals through an internship or job.

• PLAN to attend one of the many Career Fair opportunities on campus (www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

• Begin discussions with your parents, mentors, and professors about life after college – either employment or graduate or professional school (www.gradschools.com or www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

Senior Year

• Discuss career goals with a career coach in Career Services (www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

• Create or update your résumé.

• Plan to attend upcoming career fairs or on-campus interview opportunities.

• Get assistance with your job search from Career Services (www.baylor.edu/careerservices).

• Make decisions about the possibility of attending graduate or professional school.

• Demonstrate care and patience with yourself during this time of transition.

• Remind your parents that it is not okay to call potential employers and intervene on your behalf.