Find your calling
WILMORE, KY—“What do you want to do after graduation?”
Every spring, seniors are quizzed about their post-commencement plans and answers aren’t always easy to find. But, the Center for Career and Calling at Asbury College is there to help graduating seniors navigate life after college.
The Center for Career and Calling is devoted to assisting students develop their career choice along with their life goals, by providing opportunities for self-assessment, occupational exploration, actual career decision-making and resulting success. The center supports the mission of the College as it strives to prepare students for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service to the professions, society, family, and the Church. Specifically, the center assists students as they explore, define, affirm, and prepare for their calling to a profession. In the midst of preparing for a profession, students are encouraged to consider how their knowledge, experience, and strengths can go beyond their professional roles and make an impact on their family, community, and church. By addressing the whole person in the midst of the career development process, students are better prepared for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service.
The services to students are broken into four phases called the SOAR Program. The steps include:
Self Assessment: The center administers and interprets career assessments to provide feedback to students regarding their values, interests, personality, skills, and spiritual gifts.
Occupational Exploration: An in-depth Career Resource Library, FOCUS computer program, and professional and alumni contacts provide up-to-date information regarding occupations.
Actual Decision Making: Career counselors assist students in narrowing their academic, career, and life goals and can help facilitate an internship experience.
Results: Preparation for career success is offered to students through graduate school planning, resume writing, job search strategies, interviewing, and web-based job listings.
The four-step process encourages exploration of self and occupations. These four phases were developed to help assist students and to emphasize to them that there are steps that can be taken to assist them in their career decisions and life goals.
What should seniors (juniors, etc.) be doing now to help them find a job after college? According to Nicole Keenan the director of the center commented, in the perfect world graduating seniors have began applying for jobs since it can take three to four months to secure one. But Keenan added that seniors shouldn’t stress or become discouraged if they don’t have their career planned out yet.
Keenan said, quoting an old saying, “The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago, but the next best day is today.”
The center is a great resource for students to utilize while attending Asbury College. She said that after graduation, students could expect to pay $75-$150 an hour for the same services provided by the center. “I think that Asbury College is an amazing institution because its students have integrity,” Keenan said. “Integrity is one of the qualities that employers seek when hiring new candidates.”
As for the question, “what do you want to do after graduation?” It is not too late to set up an appointment with one of our career counselors. Job searching can be a very frustrating process. It is important to know that you are not alone and that we have trained people here that can help assist you.
Please stop by the second floor of Fletcher-Early, e-mail careerandcalling@asbury.edu, or call (859) 858-3511, ext. 2401 to set up your appointment today.
Released: April 22, 2008
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Tagged: features, career-calling and student-development
