With weeks away from reaching a long-sought-after goal, many Texas A&M University-San Antonio students feel uneasy of what is to come after graduation.
Nevertheless, Career Services is available to save the day with many tools such as career advisement, resume and cover letter review, mock interviewing, career fairs and much more.
Clarissa E. Tejeda, A&M-San Antonio career advisor, believes students should first and foremost take a second to breathe and acknowledge the milestone they have reached.
After almost 10 years of pursuing a bachelor’s degree, history senior Adam Alexander Sáenz is among the future 2017 graduates. The first in his family to graduate from college, he will also attend the International Relations graduate program at St. Mary’s University in the fall.
Nevertheless, finding a job makes Sáenz fearful of what follows graduation. Career Services on campus has helped him in many ways, he said. They have helped him structure his resume and taught him how to find different careers that fit him.
“My dream job would be to work for an embassy and travel the world,” Sáenz said. “I am very much excited to use the tools that I have acquired in college to better my life as well as others.”
He is still currently working with career services to find a career that will suit him best.
One of his many goals includes visiting different countries and experiencing different cultures.
“I would also love to represent my country and help build relations between the United States and other nations,” he said.
Sáenz also plans on pursuing a doctoral degree after graduate school to become a professor. He believes that through higher education a person can have an impact on people’s lives.
“I have always wanted to make a difference in the lives of people from all walks of life,” Sáenz said.
Obtaining a degree is a matter or reaching a goal more than how long it takes a student to get there.
“I’ve learned that it doesn’t necessarily matter when you finish, as long as you finish,” he said.
Tejeda says students should be self-aware of the skills he or she has and be mindful of what is missing to work on acquiring or polishing those specific skills.
“Look into opportunities that will push you out of your comfort zone to work on it,” she said.
If a student is struggling, there are things and people waiting to help,” Tejeda said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help and attend events such as career fairs to begin networking early in the job search process. There are resources in place to help.”
In order to help students, many services are offered on campus to help them understand opportunities prior to graduation.
An on-campus table recruitment, a career clothes closet, and an online job board, all useful for students. Students have the chance to volunteer, shadow at a job or intern to ensure their competitiveness in the job market.
Another graduate-to-be, marketing senior Nicole Brittany Burgess, plans to stay in her full-time management position at Sprint.
Unlike Sáenz, Burgess has not taken advantage of the tools career services offers. Just like many other students with full-time jobs, Burgess only attends campus to go to class and leaves right after. Because of this career services was never a tool under her belt.
Burgess’ dream job is in sports marketing ideally with the AT&T Center with hopes of staying in San Antonio to get more experience in the field.
Even though she feels relieved to finally be graduating after eight years of college courses she fears the lack of job opportunities.
“I fear that I’ve spent all this money and time and I won’t be able to find a job that pertains to my degree,” she said.
Tejeda believes “fear” is something every student faces when it’s time to figure out the next step. Career services wants to help students do all the prep-work necessary to build their personal brand and diminish that fear as much as possible.
The career services department offers services such a resource called “What Can I Do With This Major?” also located online helps students explore all the options available with each major, resume building tools, an internship and job bank and many more things.
Many success stories of students landing internships and jobs happen thanks to these tools.
Career services’ main goal is to support students in the transition from student life to the professional world. Alumni visit at times to offer guidance and career advice to current students at times, which is a powerful thing for them, Tejeda said.
For more information on career services visit, http://www.tamusa.edu/careerservices/ .
