One of the things that I am thankful for is my job. And I don’t just mean that I am thankful to
be employed and earning a paycheck (although that definitely is part of
it.) I mean that I am thankful to have a
job that I love. You see, that was not
always the case.
When I graduated from college with a psychology degree I had
no idea what I wanted to do for a job, let alone for a career. I had never given my career goals serious
thought, so there I was, a college graduate with no clear career focus.
Thus began a string of jobs that I landed because I knew
someone who knew someone who was looking to fill a position. I was never really happy in any of those
jobs. So, after a year or two I would
move on to the next one and find myself in the same situation; knowing that I
was not in the right place but having no clue where the right place was.
I finally decided to find out. So, I called my college alma
mater’s career center and made an appointment to speak to a career counselor. I hoped that she could help me figure out how
I could use my psychology degree, desire to work with people, and business
experience to find the perfect career for me. Well, she did more that that. As we
spoke I realized that the job I wanted was hers! I ended up asking her questions about what
she did and what skills and experiences I would need to do what she did. That led me to pursue and obtain a master’s
degree in Career Development and the rest, as they say, is history.
Looking back, I can point to a few key things that helped me
to get to where I am today, and I would like to share them with you:
- Always question. If you don’t like a job, ask yourself WHY you
don’t like it. Keep a journal. As you move along your work life, you will see
patterns. For me, I realized that I needed autonomy and the fulfillment of
helping people in my job for me to be happy.
- Keep in touch with the people you
meet. Let them know if you are looking
for a new opportunity. Looking back, I
realize that I did not get one full-time job (and I have had many) through
applying to a job advertisement. It was
always through word-of-mouth because when I was in need of a job, I used my
networks to help.
- Ask for help. I owe my career to the session that I had
with a career counselor. Ask people that
you know about their jobs. Utilize the
Hofstra ASK (Alumni Student Konnection) to find alumni to talk to about their
career path. Make an appointment with a
Hofstra career counselor!
- Get related experience. When I was
pursuing my master’s degree, I realized that I had no work experience related
to career counseling. My alma mater’s
career center to the rescue again! I
contacted them and asked if I could shadow and they happily allowed me. I helped them with projects and observed
counseling sessions. This gave me first-hand knowledge and experience and also
allowed me to meet the other counselors there.
- Join professional association in
your field of interest. You can join
most of these groups as a student. My
supervisor during my shadowing program encouraged me to join a local career
counseling group. That membership led me to my first full-time job in the
field.
I hope that you find my experiences helpful. I would be happy to meet with you to discuss
how you can take these tips and use them in your own career search!
 |
Darlene Johnson,
Director of External Relations |
