CSO sees rise in underclassmen visits

Author: H.Kay Merriman

Winter Term is one of the busiest months for the Career Services Office, reported Executive Director of Career Services Jaye Roseborough, and this Winter Term has been the busiest in recent years. The increase in students to the office is not just upperclassmen as younger students are flocking to the office in greater numbers.

Roseborough has noticed that a growing number of students are taking advantage of the Career Services Office on campus.

"Those [seniors] who have not already begun to search are starting to scramble, especially now that there is no snow," she explained.

The increased number of CSO visitors cannot be solely attributed to nervous seniors. The office has noticed that more first-years are visiting the office this year and want to start planning their careers. Assistant Director of Career Services Tracy Himmel Isham explained that CSO recently compiled MOJO profiles to see which class had logged on the most. The greatest increase of MOJO profiles was not by seniors desperate for a job, but by first-years eager to get started.

"The freshmen are seeking us out more readily. Some of them already have resumes," Himmel Isham observed. "They have a lot of information and are very practical."

Himmel Isham attributed the early career motivation to the generally self-motivated nature of Middlebury's incoming classes and the increased drive of this generation's college students.

In response to this high-demand for career counseling early in college life, CSO has developed a new pilot program called "Decision Points" that is a commons-based, peer-to-peer advice session that is intended to help first-years realize that their major does not necessarily define their career. The program was tested on a small level in the fall and CSO intends to sponsor more sessions for the incoming Febs next month.

The most popular career fields this year for students are finance and education, according to Roseborough, but there is no way to determine whether students are pursuing those careers because of their interests or in response to what CSO provides. CSO offers the most job opportunities in the field of education, and the finance field is perceived as the most highly advertised.

Still, Himmel Isham seemed surprised that so many students are pursuing careers in the business world.

"We still see a heavy interest in finance even when the market is not that great," she said.

However, the finance field is changing. Himmel Isham described this career path as similar to the "pre-med track" because of its level of competitiveness and its step-by-step process for advancement.

Although education and finance are the two career fields in highest demand for seniors, the area of communications has received the greatest level of interest on the MOJO database. In response to this, CSO is hosting its second annual Communications Week in February. Himmel Isham terms theme weeks like this one "the whole tool kit" because they include an alumni panel and guest speakers in hopes of not only encouraging students to explore different possibilities within a certain field, but also supplying them with names and faces with whom they can later use to find jobs and internships.

Whether students are interested in finance, education, communications or are unsure, Roseborough advises them to go to CSO with a purpose. It is not necessary to be certain of a career path, but it is helpful to bring a rough draft of a resume, she said.

Himmel Isham also reminds students that while CSO can provide advice and assistance in finding a career, the center cannot complete all the work for the students.

"It depends on where your expectations are when you walk in the door," Himmel Isham said. "If you are just going to rely on MOJO for finding your career after graduating, you will be disappointed."