A career experience is an opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience in a career that interests them. For freshmen and sophomores, these experiences might include job shadowing, informational interviewing, course-related workplace assignments, and part-time work. For juniors and seniors, these experiences might also include internships, part-time or full-time employment, and upper-level course workplace assignments (sometimes called "capstone" classes).
The goals of a Career Experience are to:
-
Increase the information a student has about potential careers
-
Provide opportunities for a student to speak to or spend some time with a professional whose occupation interests him/her
-
Help develop career planning skills
How can a student benefit from participating in career experiences?
For freshmen and sophomores
-
Obtain information that will help confirm a choice of an academic major or minor and learn about other possible academic majors and minors
-
Obtain information that will help confirm a career choice or learn about other career options
-
Make some professional contacts who can provide valuable advice for making the most of their remaining college years
-
Get a realistic picture of an occupation and identify skills and qualifications needed to enter a profession
-
Develop some valuable skills that will help him/her become a better career decision-maker and planner
-
Document knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to a career for placement on the Clarion University co-curricular transcript
For juniors and seniors
-
Make professional contacts who can provide help in obtaining a position upon graduation.
-
Get pre-professional experience in your chosen field that will enhance your resumé
-
Obtain information about graduate level study and prepare for graduate school
-
Document knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to a career for placement on the Clarion University co-curricular transcript
Why do employers value potential employees’ career experiences?
Students who have put forth the effort to engage in meaningful career experiences show employers that they are committed to their profession, and they show potential employers that they know something about the real world of work in a particular profession. Having real-world experience can often give a candidate the distinguishing characteristic that sets him or her above everyone else who is applying for a specific job. And, letter or phone recommendations from working professionals in the field will be much weightier than recommendations from professionals who have not seen a candidate working in the job for which the candidate has applied.
