Talk with Someone in a Career Field of Interest
Making a good career decision is difficult to do if you don't have enough information about your options. The internet is one important method of gathering career information, but it shouldn't be your only method! So whether you have one specific career goal in mind or have no idea how to narrow down your choices, you should make an effort to connect with professionals who have day-to-day experience in the occupations you are considering.
This process, called Informational Interviewing, is a standard practice in the world of work. As a general rule, people like talking about themselves and their careers, and they enjoy giving advice based on their personal experiences. As one alumnus puts it: "I wish I could have talked to someone like me when I was a student!" To learn more about the Informational Interviewing process, click here.
Meet-a-Mentor
The Career Services Meet-a-Mentor Program was established to make it easier for students and recent graduates to conduct informational interviews and learn about the world of work. There are now more than 500 professionals in a wide variety of occupations listed in the mentor database. Click here to find out more.
Additional Mentor Programs
There are many mentor-matching services on the web. Be sure to check with professional associations related to your field of interest -- they may have their own mentoring programs. The links below are just a small sampling of the mentoring resources available.
