Tag Archives: career

Academics, Career and Life: Putting It All Together

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lifeIt’s your first year of school. Or your fifth.  The academic year begins after you’re fresh off of a summer of interning, vacationing, working or continuing education in a myriad of ways. Campus explodes with returning staff and students, skateboarders, bikers and pedestrians vying for space, and you step into another new schedule. Between the 15 credits you’re taking, you’re handed an armload of other expectations: make friends, keep friends, find a job on campus or close enough to bike, do EVERYTHING social that comes your way, join a club or three, meet with your advisor, take weekend trips, call your mother, study abroad, and keep your grades up. Oh, and work out. Students who are also parents, older than 25, first generation or otherwise considered “non-traditional” typically face even more demands for a successful blending of academics and everything else. It sometimes seems that everyone on campus is under pressure to do everything, be everything and be GOOD at everything, regardless of the personal toll.

Blending career with the rest of your life outside of school doesn’t get any easier, but the climate around what constitutes a “successful” career is changing.  Currently, the United States is dismal in terms of providing support and resources for the easy integration of work and life: we as a nation rank 28th, only 9 from the bottom, of advanced countries in terms of successful work/life integration. Conversations, though, in the past few years have shifted significantly toward figuring out how to redefine success in life, including career, and I do believe we will get better as a nation in taking care of each other.

While greater governmental and policy change is needed to implement support at a larger scale in the work/life integration, it is up to us now to manage our own balance. During school is a good time to practice. Here are a few tips on how to get started:

1.      Know yourself.

No other person will be able to tell you what is best for your life. You must do this work on your own. Take each day as an opportunity to learn about who you are, what you prioritize and how you see the best version of yourself in your community. Are you exhilarated by good grades? Does the happy exhaustion of a long trail run outweigh the extra hour of time spent talking on the phone with a friend? Is quiet time something that allows you to do well in other areas and, if so, how are you scheduling quiet time into your days? Unless you know where you are starting from, it is going to be extremely challenging to define where you’d like to be, and much easier to take on everything without intention and forethought.

2.      Redefine what is valuable.

The world will attempt to define this for you on a daily basis. At any turn, it is easy to allow another person or entity to tell you what holds the most value in your life. If this is a system that works for you, go with it. But if not, take a step back and analyze it for yourself.

3.      Welcome reality.

If you consider yourself on a budget of sorts, you may be able to better welcome and adhere to reality. With a strict budget, there is only so much money to spend. The same goes for your personal energy and engagement: once you’re tapped out, it is hard to refill and start over. Figure out ahead of time what your require in order to be the student you want to be: study groups, tutoring, time alone, breaks, staying busy, etc.  If you are a parent, an employee, a friend, a partner, decide what of your personal energy is required to be the kind of (insert role here) you want to be, and then stick to your budget. Set boundaries respectfully, with yourself and others and practice enforcing them.

4.      Adjust.

Work on your flexibility and forgiveness, with yourself and others. Recognize that it is easy for other people to place demands on you because it is their job to do so: your employers need your time and energy, your professors need your time and energy, your family needs your time and energy, your friends need your time and energy and all of this is okay. When you create expectations for yourself and others that are rigid and resentful, the stress will only increase. When you aren’t good at something, adjust. When a schedule changes that is out of your control, adjust. When life doesn’t happen exactly as it was supposed to, adjust. And then, when you figure out how to do that easily, write down a how-to and send it my way . .

5. Sleep.

Often for people, physical/mental health and sleep are the first things to go when life balance is out of sorts. Recognize now that none of the above practices are going to be possible for you if you are an exhausted, sick and emotional wreck 24/7. Be stingy with your time for rest.

Oh, and work out.

Thoughts on what helps you achieve balance and wellness in your own life? Please comment!

Conversations/resources/articles on this topic:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2012/10/19/forget-work-life-balance-its-time-for-work-life-blend/

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/a_key_to_us_competitiveness_wo.html

http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/work-family

Posted by Malia Arenth, Career Services Counselor

Career Sustainability: Thriving in a Competitive Market

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Welcome to Career Corner! Career Corner provides career and workplace related topics and information.

Staying competitive and managing your career can be difficult in a challenging economy.  To thrive and be viable, you must know your skills, strengths, capabilities as well as areas of development.  Make it a habit to seek out opportunities to enhance your knowledge and performance. Here are 8 strategies that can help you succeed in your career.

Be Flexible. Flexibility is a valued and necessary trait to have if you want to thrive in our constantly changing workplace. Technology, the economy and demographic changes in our workforce have transformed how we work. Be open to new concepts and adaptable to change. The more readily you can adapt to your environment, the easier it is to stay competitive.

Recognize your accomplishments. Be an advocate for yourself.  Document how the organization has benefited from your performance.  What tangible evidence do you have of your achievements? Are you the key person that your boss or team turns too when something needs to get done?  Know your value.

Be an innovator.  Propose ideas that improve systems to make the workplace more efficient.  Learn how to integrate practical concepts that addresses and solves problems. When was the last time that you made a significant contribution to your organization?

Be Proactive.  Don’t be passive. Take control of your career and don’t be obsolete.  You are responsible for managing your own career path and direction. Prepare to assume new projects, skills and knowledge to make you relevant. Develop a unique talent that it not easily replaced.  Stay current of trends by reading journals and resources related to your profession.

Maintain Your Network.  Connections are critical.  Keep in touch with your network periodically. Seek out experts and key players who can support you in your career.  Having connections makes it easier when looking for better opportunities.   You never know when you will need to rely upon them in the future.

Be Global Minded. Learn how to develop relationships with diverse groups. Broaden your perspective by being open to ideas different from your own. Seek to understand and be drawn from your comfort zone.

Join a Professional Organization.  It’s a great way to establish new networks and exchange business ideas with like-minded professionals. You can also gain a better understanding of future growth areas in your industry.

Keep Your Resume Current.  Update your resume regularly.  You never know when you might need to submit it. Include significant achievements, new projects and other relevant information to make you stand out.

To have career sustainability, you will need to be accountable for your own career and be prepared for sudden changes in your workplace and industry. The more prepared you are, the quicker you are to respond to the demands of the workforce. 

Do you have career sustainability? Let us know how you are thriving in our current market.

Marian Moore, Career Development Coordinator/Career Counselor in Career Services at OSU is passionate about empowering others holistically to find meaningful and sustainable careers that promote lifestyle optimization. Interests: Career Coaching, Talent and Human Capital Management, Curriculum Design and Development, International Education, Personal Branding, Organizational Development, Entrepreneurship, Global Economic Development, Human Rights and Immigrant and Refugee advocacy.

Q & A Monday

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Question: What can I do over the summer or while I’m searching for a permanent job so that my resume doesn’t have a gap in it?

Excellent question! There are many things you can be doing over the summer to gain experience, build skills, network, and in turn, make your resume stronger. Here are some ideas:

  • Internship – 9 in 10 employers said they look for students to have one or two internships before graduating, and that those internships should be at least three months each to provide enough experience. If you don’t already have an internship for the summer, create your own! Here’s how! Or get planning for next summer.
  • Part-time or temporary job – you can gain many skills through a part-time or temporary job no matter where you work. Communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, initiative, hard-working…these are all qualities employers across industries seek in their employees and you can easily demonstrate this on your resume through a part-time job. Also, sometimes that temporary job could turn into full time!
  • Volunteer – there are so many places that could use your help and volunteering is a great way to assist others and also improve your own skills. Thinking about becoming a vet? Volunteer at the humane society. Want to be a writer? Volunteer to start a blog for a nonprofit and write the entries. Interested in teaching? Volunteer at a kids camp or summer school program. The opportunities are endless!!!
  • Go abroad – summer is a fantastic time to travel! Going abroad either through school or on your own can be a great way to learn more about another culture and yourself. You can also build your network internationally and even better if you learn another language (or at least the basics!).
  • Take a class or two – either for your major or just to learn another skill (Photoshop, html code, typing, pretty much there is a class for everything these days!)…and oftentimes you can find them online.
  • Start your own business – due to technology pretty much anyone can start their own business and with little cost. Find out some strategies to get you started.
  • Start your own blog – blogging is a great way to network and be known in your field…or even in an area that isn’t necessarily related to your career. It shows that you have something to offer and you become somewhat of an “expert” on that topic. It also demonstrates your written communication skills and these days many companies have blogs and therefore need people to manage and write for the blog. There are various blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, Weebly, etc. Here is a great article about the top 10 free online blogging platforms.

These are just a few ideas of ways you can gain experience and skills over the summer or while searching for a permanent job and still have some fun! And hopefully you will find that the things you are doing to gain experience and make yourself more marketable on your resume are FUN…this means you are probably going into an industry that fits your interests, strengths, and values and therefore you are more likely to be happy in your career.

What will you be doing this summer to develop your skills and gain experience? Any new ideas from the list above? Any career related questions you want answered during our Q & A Monday post? Comment below!

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

Confessions of a Career Changer: My Wavy Path Forward

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The path may have many forks, bends, and waves, but the skies are clear!

Hi, OSU Career Beavers blog readers. It’s Finals Week of spring term 2012, and I’ve been writing to you all year about my changeable and wavy career path. I’ve taken many roads! Since graduating with my undergraduate degree, I’ve been an actor, a waiter, a receptionist, a creative writer, a college composition instructor, a gas station attendant, a high school drama coach, a substitute teacher, a real estate office manager, a writing workshop leader, a nonprofit program director, and now, while I’m in graduate school, I’m a career advisor! Imagine that, me with my wavy path, I get to help other folks figure out their paths, write their resumes and cover letters, prepare for their interviews, and search for jobs. One thing I’ve learned from helping students with these skills is that the better you’re able to articulate who you are and what your goals are, the easier it will be to explain those things to potential employers, through your resume, your cover letter, and in an interview situation. When I work with students that learn how to do this, they have the ability to land the jobs and opportunities they want.

If you’re still searching and your career path may be wavy like mine, you can still have goals and a strong sense of your identity. I needed to take the path I took in order to discover that advising at a college would be a great fit for my skills, my needs, my strengths, and my goals and priorities. But along the way, I was still able to tell others why the next experience, whatever it was, was the experience I needed to get me closer to my goal. Goals change, people change, but from where you sit right now, what is your goal? What is your dream job? If you could wave a magic wand, where would you work? Now, what do you need to do to get to that dream? If your dream changes in the process of getting there, that’s fine. The important thing is to have the dream and a plan.

In this swiftly changing economy, workers of the future will need to be adaptable. That is a given. So, why not look at change as opportunity, change as the ability to learn more, change as a way to explore another facet of who you can be in this life. I’ve always viewed change as positive and exciting. We only get one chance at this life thing; we might as well learn as much as we can!

Thanks for following my story this year. Good luck to you in your own path. May you be always learning more, about yourself and the world of work, so that you can create the place where the two meet and like each other a lot.

Jessica Baron is currently a Graduate Assistant in Career Services at OSU and a full time student in the College Student Services Administration Program.

Working for Nonprofits: Two Insightful Perspectives from Nonprofit Employees Working in Oregon

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You’re determined to make a positive impact on the world, so you want to work for a nonprofit. Is it a good idea? It really depends on who you talk to. In a recent survey of 3,500 nonprofit employees performed by Professionals for NonProfits, 70 percent of employees stated that their jobs were either disappointing or only somewhat fulfilling. 25 percent said that they were thinking about looking for work outside of the nonprofit sector. According to three out of four survey respondents, internal politics lowered their ability to properly function in their jobs.

I have to admit that the results from this survey surprised me. The nonprofit employees in the survey worked in the New York and Washington metropolitan areas. To get some other perspectives, I contacted some folks working in the nonprofit sector in Oregon.

Anissa Arthenayake, Director of Community Education at the OSU Federal Credit Union, told me, “I had always worked for for-profit businesses, being in the banking world. In working for OSU Federal Credit Union I did not see it as a nonprofit, but as a job I fell in love with. It is for me finding my passion and finding my voice.”

Her favorite part of her job is “Getting to meet lots of different people from various backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions. I get to help them by giving them skills to better their lives.” Regarding the personal rewards of her job, she stated that she loves “seeing people succeed.”

I also asked Anissa about the differences of for-profit and nonprofit workplaces. She said, “I find my workplace environment is now all about the relationships. That is the best part.” I asked her if working for a nonprofit provided any surprises, and she said that being able to see others’ needs more clearly and unveiled was unexpected.

Anissa provided the following advice for college students interested in working for a nonprofit: “To work for a nonprofit, a person has to have the fire inside them to work to make a difference due to the extreme hardships you see. A person needs to separate themselves and not internalize others’ troubles. The work can be very rewarding.”

Kathleen Mason, Public Relations Manager for the Aurora Colony Historical Society/Old Aurora Colony Museum, landed her first nonprofit job as a membership development manager for the Girl Scouts after completing a nonprofit management/fundraising certificate program. Her favorite part her current job is “Working with passionate volunteers who give so much of their time, expertise, and money to support causes and organizations. They make me feel so humble.”

Regarding the differences between the for-profit and nonprofit workplace environments, she stated, “Just as in [for profit] businesses, the larger the nonprofit, the more of a corporate environment you will encounter – including a larger hierarchy. This hierarchy, from the executive on down, seems at times to mirror its own large corporate donors. Smaller nonprofits, in my experience, tend to have a more business casual environment.”

She provided the following advice for college students thinking about working for a nonprofit: “Just do it! The pay will not be as good as in the for-profit sector, but the trade off is that you could gain more responsibilities and experience than you would in another entry-level job or higher job.”

“Do think about internships – just cold call – you can always talk to someone about tailoring an internship that suits your degree focus and their organizational needs. Nonprofits are always looking for employees who can step up to help, even if it’s not in their job description. Also, since nonprofits have become much more professional, degrees in nonprofit management are available, and there is a greater demand for accountants, human resource managers, marketing professionals, grant writers, and of course capable organizational leaders with great people skills.”

Typically, nonprofit jobs involve a lot of hard work and are perhaps more challenging than jobs at for-profits. Due to limited funding, employees at nonprofits often have more job responsibilities than those working for for-profits. Employees at nonprofits often have to do more with less and in shorter periods of time.

Many small nonprofits have a flat organizational structure which allows even interns to provide their ideas and affect change. The loose hierarchical structure allows for closer working relationships among staff members and it also allows for changes to be made quickly. However, some nonprofits are more traditional and hierarchical. The intrinsic benefits of working for a nonprofit can outweigh the higher salaries provided by for-profits. When working for a nonprofit, you are able to engage your head and your heart.

To succeed at a nonprofit, one needs to be self-directed, be prepared to take initiative, and not see it as a typical job. Commitment and passion are important!

Brian Jenkins writes about careers in accounting, among other career fields, for BrainTrack.com.

Confessions of a Career Changer: The Return to School

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Make Sure You Do Your Research to Find the Grad Program that Fits!

Week 9, can you believe it?? The Career Changer is back to tell the penultimate episode of her wavy career path, a career path that continues on in this moment, as I sit here at my desk in Career Services at OSU. But cutting right to it, when I left off last time, I was working as the Director for a nonprofit in Colorado. Yet no matter how much I enjoyed that work, I knew that I wanted to be in higher education, advising students, using some of the administrative, leadership, and team building skills that I was cultivating in my work as an office manager for a real estate agency and a nonprofit administrator, as well as my teaching and tutoring background. I realized, as I was applying for the jobs I really wanted at colleges and universities, that I might not have the degree that most applied to my field of interest. I was definitely competing against applicants who had a degree directly related to advising and educational administration.

I needed one of those degrees if I wanted one of those jobs. So, I began the search for my next graduate school. This time, my process of searching was much more intentional. I took note of the degrees that colleges and universities preferred their applicants to have. For instance, many of the job descriptions I looked at that sounded exciting to me would say, “Preferred Master’s in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Educational Leadership, College Student Services, or Related”, so I was looking for one of these degrees. To search, I found professional organizations associated with higher education, several of which have databases that list graduate school programs in the field. I examined programs’ courses of study, their placement statistics, their requirements, and their mission statements and values. A priority for me in a school concerned location; I didn’t want to attend a school in a community in which I did not want to live. The opportunity for funding was a huge factor as well, as I did not want to graduate from a program with an enormous amount of debt in my mid-thirties, and I also wanted job experience to help me get my first position out of school. Graduate programs will often offer assistantships, for research, teaching, or administrative work, in exchange for a monthly stipend and a tuition remission. These assistantships are amazing opportunities for students to fund their own education.

In the end, I applied to just four institutions; four schools that I thought would give me the total package to graduate with the experience and knowledge to get the position of my dreams. When you are considering graduate school, it is important to do this level of research. Because graduate programs can last 2, 3, 5, or even 7 years of your life, you want to ensure that you will learn and grow in the ways that you intended and also in ways that may be surprising. Ask yourself what your goals are and how each program will help you achieve those goals. Also, talk to current students and faculty. Do you fit with the program and the campus culture? In my case, it was clear to me after my interviews that I wanted to be at OSU. This worked out well, since here I am, blogging to you all!

Have a great end of the term, and I’ll be back finals week with some closing thoughts about what it means to forge your own wavy path through your vocational life. There isn’t a right way, just a right way for you!

Jessica Baron is currently a Graduate Assistant in Career Services at OSU and a full time student in the College Student Services Administration Program. Before making her way to Oregon State, Jessica worked as an actor, waiter, online tutor, receptionist, college composition instructor, creative writer, gas station attendant, nonprofit program director, writing workshop leader, high school drama coach, Hallmark card straightener, substitute teacher, real estate office manager, and SAT tutor, not necessarily in that order. Her “Confessions of a Career Changer” will focus on her wavy career path and the challenges and joys of wanting to do everything.

Confessions of a Career Changer: An Opportunity in the Arts

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Howdy, Career Beavers blog readers! Week 7 of spring term already, and the Career Changer is back to continue the story of her wavy career path. All school year, I’ve been writing the story of the shifts and changes on my professional path that got me here to OSU after graduating with my undergraduate degree twelve years ago. In my last post, I told the story of how I began working as a real estate office manager in Colorado, a totally new position in a totally new industry for me. While I was contributing to this office, I was also keeping my ears open about other opportunities. One arose about nine months later that could be a good fit for my skills, experience, and personal goals.

In the small town of Creede, the arts are very important. So important, in fact, that in addition to the Creede Repertory Theatre, there is a local nonprofit arts organization that sponsors gallery shows, arts education, art in public spaces, and other arts related events. The Creede Arts Council’s director was leaving after many years of building a set of programs that added value to the community, events that people had come to expect and count on to sustain them year after year. The Council needed a new Director.

With my background in writing and theatre and because I had completed an internship in nonprofit development while in graduate school, I was chosen to direct this organization of very dedicated volunteers as they worked hard to provide arts programming for their community. This opportunity may not have happened in a big city, but the available candidate pool was small, so I got lucky! Because it was part time, I continued working in the real estate office while taking on grant writing, volunteer organizing, event planning, and marketing.

Some of these tasks were brand new to me. Some of these tasks were new facets of skills I was already comfortable with. All of these tasks were a challenge, so I learned as I went, asked the board and the previous director lots of questions, and tried things out to see if they would work. I learned so many useful skills in this job that there isn’t the space to list them all. Looking back on it, I’m so glad I took a chance in applying, and they took a chance by hiring me!

The most valuable skills I cultivated regarded working on a team while leading that team. A volunteer board hired me to manage them but also to serve their needs. I needed to balance my leadership style with the goals and purpose of my position, supporting everyone’s ideas and acting as a facilitator for conversations to decide the direction of the organization. So, many of the skills I cultivated in that job are skills I use today and skills I will continue to use in the future. However, I still knew I wanted to work in higher education. In Week 9, I will tell you about my next steps in achieving that goal. Have a great week!

Jessica Baron is currently a Graduate Assistant in Career Services at OSU and a full time student in the College Student Services Administration Program. Before making her way to Oregon State, Jessica worked as an actor, waiter, online tutor, receptionist, college composition instructor, creative writer, gas station attendant, nonprofit program director, writing workshop leader, high school drama coach, Hallmark card straightener, substitute teacher, real estate office manager, and SAT tutor, not necessarily in that order. Her “Confessions of a Career Changer” will focus on her wavy career path and the challenges and joys of wanting to do everything.