Adulting Prep: How to set yourself up for career or graduate school success

By Alexandra Fisher

Choosing a major without a clear career path like teaching or nursing can be challenging. I’ve seen many students pick ‘safe’ majors they’re not passionate about; some persevere, and others end up dropping out. As someone who changed their major from Music Education to political science and music in undergrad, I had to take a leap of faith and trust that I would land somewhere I wanted to be. At the end of the day, I would rather put in the work to pursue a different field than be in a career I didn’t care about. To combat the fear of not having a clear career path, I prioritized not only academics but my extracurricular experiences which is what ultimately led me to graduate school. I am now a second-year graduate student getting my M.Ed. in College Student Affairs and here are some of my tips to get career ready or graduate school ready when your major doesn’t have a set career path. 

My first tip is to meet with your academic advisor, or a trusted professor in your major. Once I decided to study political science, I met with the head of the program (who happened to be my advisor) as well as another political science professor to talk about potential careers and my interests. During one of my early meetings my advisor told me there will never be a sign that says, “political science major wanted here” and that I had to learn to show others how the skills I learned were valuable in a variety of fields. This was the best piece of advice I received. I would regularly meet with them to discuss scheduling, internships, evolving interests, and word politics. By doing this I formed a strong relationship with them, and they became some of the first people I asked for letters of recommendation when applying for scholarships and graduate school.

My second tip is to get involved in a variety of organizations. Involvement in diverse organizations can provide valuable experiences in event planning, social media management, educational initiatives, financial management, and activism. Honors societies, Greek life, student government, and major or career-specific organizations can all be great ways to get involved (and be eligible for additional scholarship opportunities) and get those experiences. In undergrad you don’t always have a job that you can shape as relevant to your future career, but you might be able to with your involvement; especially if you are looking to apply for graduate school. Depending on the type of program you want to apply to, having that involvement or research experience will help your application stand out against others. When I took on a leadership role in student government, I was able to plan large scale concerts and events for the entire student body where I refined my communication, organizational, and budgeting skills which helped me secure my job in event planning the summer after I graduated undergrad before I went to graduate school. Through my involvement in Greek life, I discovered our provost was an alum of the sorority I was in. I used this as a way to get a meeting with her to discuss her role and journey to provost. She was incredibly nice, and it was really motivating to see a strong driven woman in a position of power at our university.

My third and most important tip is internships, professional interviews, and networking! I was fortunate enough to get my first internship at a District Attorney’s office due to a connection with a Mansfield Alumni. I had an amazing experience, learned a lot, was given ample responsibility and now have a mentor for life. When I thought law school was the plan, I set up multiple zoom meetings with Alumni who were practicing law across the country to learn about their journey and experiences. I even met with my university’s chief of staff who in a previous life was a lawyer. Meeting with her made me wonder more about working a job in higher education. I then set up an interview with any staff member or administrator who would meet with me. Through my role as student government president, I already knew many of them and it helped make sure I got on their calendar. I seized a 10-minute meeting with our University President to learn about his path to his role and share my potential interest in working in higher education. Our meeting quickly turned into him recommending the M.Ed. College Student Affairs program at Bloomsburg. He followed up with me on this, offered to be a reference, and helped me find a graduate assistantship to pay for most of my classes. Through my involvement, and professional interviews the opportunity to pursue this degree with little financial risk was offered to me. When opportunity knocks you should answer.

Opportunities don’t just fall into your lap for most people, they happen through networking, involvement, and putting yourself out there. I used networking and connections to gain experiences which led me to apply for this internship with no previous connections. I have become so confident in my skills and experience that I am much more willing to apply for jobs or internships I might have considered a reach years ago. This internship has really expanded my idea of higher education, and I firmly believe this experience will help me get a job after I graduate. Don’t fall to the pressure of picking a ‘safe’ major if it isn’t for you. This is your life, and you can shape it to be whatever you want as long as you put in the work!

3rd Blog’s the charm,

Ally