Career services

After a pair of pretty busy weeks, we’re back in business. I’ve had a couple of stressful stretches of class, but I’ve got a little break for the time being, and figured it was about time for an update.

The weather on campus has been pretty varied for the last couple of weeks; everything from sunny skies to a winter storm warning. Things are relatively busy on parts of the campus this weekend, as there’s an indoor track meet going on in the turf center right now. On that note, I just finished a long day of work, so I’m debating as to whether I want to go watch part of the meet or head to the gym myself.

But I’m willing to bet that you guys aren’t interested in my weekend plans, so I thought we might talk a little about GVSU’s Career Services office. If you’re worried about the job market after college, or want an advantage in said market, this is the place to drop by. They offer a really wide range of services, from individual appointments to simulated interviews. If you have a question about resumes, this is a great place to get some tips. They have databases of contacts in several career fields if you want some real life examples, a career library, online services, and they also keep track of on campus recruitment as well as the many career fairs that take place on campus.

Career Services also keeps track of several statistics as far as job placement goes. A breakdown for all of Grand Valley’s colleges can be found in their brochures or on the website, but I believe the most recent count of alumni employment comes from either 2007 or 2008, and 96% of grads were either employed full time or in a graduate program.

But it isn’t just employment after graduation that the office keeps an eye on. According to the office, 6918 current Grand Valley students are participating in internships, co-ops, and practicals. A majority of those are in education (due to student teaching requirements), with nursing and the health sciences close behind. For those of you not sure what that number means, a little less than 40% of the campus’ full time undergrads are involved in internship or internship-like experiences outside of their academics.

To be honest, though, I’m now thinking more along the lines of grabbing food on campus, rather than heading to the gym, so I think I’ll call it a day. Don’t forget to post any questions that you have.

-Kyle