Zig Zag Paths

• Erica enters college and selects a Pre-Medicine major, with a Sociology minor.
• She secures a campus job as a summer writing camp instructor.

Words of Wisdom

A part-time Work Study campus job is a great way to gain experience while decreasing your costs for college. Try to apply for Work Study jobs that relate to your interests or career goals. This enables you to learn about the workplace. In your last three semesters in college, it is critical to do an internship off campus to help you break into your chosen field. Make a good impression on your supervisor and maintain a positive relationship with them because a future employer will call them for a reference.

• Bump in the Road

• She decides to study abroad in Spain

Words of Wisdom

Studying abroad provides a new perspective on life and widens your worldview, which can help you to embrace life's complexities and become more culturally curious. This can help you adjust better to the diverse workplaces you will be working in.

• Erica conducts Informational Interviews to explore careers more in-depth and she talks with a  member who teaches courses related to social justice issues. The faculty members she interviews recommend interviewing a non-profit that helps the community with social justice issues.

Words of Wisdom

Informational Interviews are a great way to learn about a field and meet people you want to eventually work for or with. It is also a great way to learn about internship opportunities and future careers within their organization. 

• She takes part in an Internship with children at a non-profit and becomes a Youth Leader at her church.
• Bump in the Road

Words of Wisdom

Having set-backs is a part of life. Look at them as a time to take stock of life, priorities, and plan to come up with various options to deal with this “bump in the road.”

• Erica returns to college to resume her studies and she graduates with her Bachelor's degree.

• Erica decides to launch a job search and secures a position as a non-profit Program Coordinator (first job out of college) helping children with disabilities. She stays in this role for 2 years.
• She then decides to launch a job search and secures work for a non-profit as a Fundraising Manager that helps fight domestic violence. Erica stays in this role for 4 years (second job out of college).
• Bump in the Road

• She then decides to go back to school and pursue a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration, hoping she can use it to help the world in some way.

Words of Wisdom

Going back to school can help if you have been out of work, laid off, or have an inconsistent job history. It gives you a fresh start and offers new marketable skills. Her next role can be seen more as her "vocation" now, as it is making a difference in the world using her unique skills, knowledge, and passion for her field.

• Erica lands a Policy Internship related to STEM Education helping under-represented high school students. Through this internship, she learns to write grants. This position converts to a full-time job as a Senior Program Manager (third job out of college/first job with a graduate degree) which she stays in for 9 years.

Words of Wisdom

More than half of all internships convert to jobs. Internships are not only good for the employer, they also help you to know if you fit into the office culture, get along with staff, and feel the work is rewarding to you.

• She decides to launch a job search and becomes a Policy Analyst at a highly reputable think tank (second job with a graduate degree). She stays in this position for 6 years.
• Bump in the Road

• Erica decides to find a job with less travel and a more flexible schedule.
• Erica lands a job as a Donor Relations Manager/Senior Grant Writer with a small non-profit (third job with a graduate degree) which helps create mentor-type relationships between students and industry executives. She stays in this role for 8 years.

• Erica decides to launch a job search because she is still commuting over 40 minutes a day. The expenses of traveling to work, along with the salary she is receiving, has created a financial burden for her. She wants a position with a better paying wage.
• She then lands a job as an Executive Director at a non-profit. Through her work, Erica educates people on the health issue that she was diagnosed with 30 years ago. She stays in this position for 3 years.
• Bump in the Road

• Erica launches her final job search for a new position located in her new city.

Final Destination

Erica ends up working at a University in Grant Writing and the position is 10 months a year. In this role, she also has the opportunity to act as Club Advisor for Social Justice Club. For the summer months when she is off work, she serves as the Director of a Faith-Based Summer Camp Empowerment Program. This role brings many of her interests and skills together. This final job utilizes Erica's strengths in writing and her passions for social justice issues and serving God.

Words of Wisdom

Life comes with many peaks and valleys but it is how you react to these unexpected circumstances that make all the difference. Most career paths are complicated and even as you plan, luck or chance can also impact your decisions. Career goals change as you mature and encounter life experiences. These changes will occur while taking into account your gifts and strengths as well as your challenges and limitations. Try to apprecite the journey of life as you navigate through the highs and lows.

Challenges can often be the only time in your life when you stop, think, reflect, and reassess your plans. It is in these challenges, that we discover who we are, what we value, and where we see ourselves in the future.

• Roberto enters in college as a Business Administration major with an emphasis in Marketing.

• Roberto starts his physical therapy and after some time off, he returns to college.

Words of Wisdom

It is important to seek out and consult resources on campus, such as student success counselors, career counselors, and faculty mentors who can help you when you need it.

• Roberto goes to the Career Services office and speaks with a Career Counselor. After going over options and interests, and updating his resume and cover letter, he decides to start a search for an internship.

Words of Wisdom

Career Services at CLU offers free services for life including resume reviews and mock interviews.

• Roberto lands a marketing internship (1^st internship in college) with a local graphic design company.

• Roberto continues with his studies and from a recommendation of a peer joins the business fraternity on campus – Delta Sigma Pi.
• He volunteers on campus doing the photography for events and posting them on social media.

Words of Wisdom

Clubs like honors associations, fraternities, and volunteering for events can be a bright spot on a resume to demonstrate active involvement in and out of the classroom. The more you show employers that you did more than just go to class, the better the impression you will make.

• He decides to get another internship and starts another internship search. Roberto finds and lands a position as a Sales Marketing Intern (2^nd internship in college) for a television company (which relates to his interest in photography and videography).

• Roberto continues with this internship and discovers that he really enjoys sales and the public communication he does with his current position.
• He enters into a leadership position for Delta Sigma Pi.

Words of Wisdom

Leadership involvement are great to put on your resume. You can list any event or organization position where you have demonstrated leadership can show employers you are committed, competent, and have strong communication skills.

• Roberto finds another internship (3^rd internship during college) as a Sales and Marketing Intern for a fitness gym (relates to his interest to fitness).
• He recognizes that he enjoys the leadership and public relations aspects of business organizations and decides to switch his major emphasis to small business/entrepreneurship.

Words of Wisdom

Roberto weighed the pros and cons of his previous work to be able to decipher what he really enjoys. It is important to take time to reflect and weigh out the positives and negatives of your experiences, your values, and your circumstances as you decide on a career. Here is an effective tool for decision making.

• Roberto is doing well at his internship. The hard work he has put in and his skills has been noticed by his supervisors. They have given him more responsibilities and he is now in charge of creating promotional videos for the fitness gym.

Words of Wisdom

Roberto has been given opportunities by his employers from the quality of work he has demonstrated. It is important to always do your best in every position you have. This will help lead to good relations with your employers and may even present opportunities to learn and demonstrate new skills, which can be listed on your resume.

• He discovers that he really enjoys facilitating programs and seeing projects from the ground up.

• Roberto completes his senior project, which focused on the marketing and start-up of a restaurant (relates to his food interest), and he graduates with a Business Administration degree.

Through the multiple internships he had and through the knowledge gained in his courses, Roberto is determined to build a start-up of his own some day. He found resources at small business dev. center.

• Inspired by a few of his peers who did a volunteer service, and after talking with his past participants, Roberto decides to apply and enter into the Peace Corps.

Words of Wisdom

The Peace Corps and other non-profit volunteer service organizations are great ways to give back and use effort to make a positive impact on a community. It also provides a valuable opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture.

• Roberto’s Peace Corps assignment is two-years of service as a business advising volunteer in Costa Rica. During his project, Roberto spends his time assisting in the economic development of the local communities by building design and infrastructure projects. He also helps youth develop their entrepreneurship skills.

• Roberto seeks help through his family and friends.

Words of Wisdom

It is important to create a balance in your life between work and social needs. Self-care is important! Creating time for social activities in a stressful environment can lead to a more balanced living style.

• He continues to work in his Peace Corps role, making strong connections with those around him, which makes him feel like he is making a positive impact.
• Roberto finishes his service time in Costa Rica and returns home.

• Motivated through the experiences he had in his education, internships and service, Roberto decides to start his own business and opens up a restaurant. (1^st position out of college).

• Roberto starts another job search and lands a position as a business marketing advisor (2^nd position out of college), for a catering business in his new town. He stays in this position for three years.
• After connecting with food industry employers and workers in the area and at his company, Roberto and a couple of other people decide to start up their own food consulting business.

Words of Wisdom

Make sure to stay connected with individuals who work in your industry and field of interest. Utilize professional networking sites such as LinkedIn.

• Through this work, Roberto gets to implement all of his interests and his passions for seeing projects evolve from the ground-up. Roberto is promoted to CEO of the company and he stays in this position for multiple years. He eventually goes on to start another business in the same industry (food) and continues to utilize his infrastructure building, staff management, communication and entrepreneurship skills.