Some freshmen are heading to the Career Center just weeks into their time at Duke to start planning for their future.
This past year, one of the center’s main goals was to help freshmen become aware all their services and demonstrate the importance of experimentation when considering a professional career, Teri Mills, an assistant director for the Career Center, wrote in an e-mail.
The center has seen a 33 percent increase in freshman turnout at its events that it attributes to new efforts to reach first-year students, the Associated Press reported Sept. 12.
“We don’t want to push students to decide on a specific course of action, we want them to fully engage in the exploration process,” Mills said. “The process of exploration is powerful in helping students understand themselves in order to make informed and appropriate decisions.”
New initiatives include the “four plus model,” which provides assistance for students starting their freshman year through four years after graduation, and LAUNCH, a 6-session series that intends to equip students with a better understanding of opportunities at Duke.
Other programs include the First-Year Internships initiative, which is designed to help first-year students gain experience in professional settings, and First Year Fridays, where freshman can get their resumes reviewed and ask quick questions without having to schedule an appointment. Although elevated unemployment rates are a challenge facing college graduates, Mills said first-year students cite other reasons for reaching out to the Career Center.
“First-year students want information on how to navigate the new world they have just entered,” she noted. “They often come to us for information on specific programs they can participate in, resources available to them and how to gain exposure to areas of interest.”
For some freshmen, the Career Center services have already helped them achieve short-term goals.
“I guess I don’t want to think about a career yet, but... I went to the resume building workshop, and now I have a work-study job,” freshman Manuela Mejia said.
John Gitau, also a freshman, said he attended an open house at the Career Center in order to get an “early start” on his career path.
“I have a few ideas in mind, but I figure these guys are professionals,” he said.
Freshman Marianna Jordan agreed that it is important to explore one’s post-graduate opportunities sooner rather than later.
“I think the mindset in America in 2010 is that it’s best to start thinking about careers and post-grad opportunities once you enter college,” Jordan wrote in an e-mail, adding that she plans to attend Career Center events in the near future.
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