First Year Seminar: Career Development
Over the last two years I have had the opportunity to focus on career development in teaching Babson’s First Year Seminar Course. We utilize a variety of tools and activities to aid students in developing a career development lens in their transition to college. Together, we accomplish this through developing self-understanding through career assessment tools, connecting with alumni in and out of the class, conducting research to guide career choice, developing content for personal brand materials, and conducting an informational interview with a professional in an industry or job function of interest. As the instructor, I love the energy and commitment from students as they integrate the knowledge they gain about themselves and their discovered careers of interest in this fast-paced course.
One of my students, Calvin Wang (’19), shared his experience:
As an incoming freshman registering for my first semester, I was a little confused and overwhelmed by the amount of classes and professors that are offered at Babson. There were copious quantities of one particular class- First Year Seminar, which is also part of the required first year curriculum. I noticed that there were tiny descriptions of what the class entailed and “Career Development” grabbed my attention very quickly, so I signed up expecting to gain knowledge and value about putting myself in the best position to secure a solid career after college and worthwhile internships while in college. Suffice to say, Career Development with Vicky Keller did not disappoint. Here are my top three reasons as to why this class is so beneficial.
- The Connections with Peer Mentors and CCD Staff
Each section of FYS is assigned a Peer Mentor who is in charge of making sure everyone understands the material, gets the attention they deserve, and also, outside of class, a good friend and advisor that you can count on for guidance. I have a great relationship with my Peer Mentor, and I have asked her for advice and help numerous times this semester because I trust her and know that she cares. All Peer Mentors are exceptional academically, goal oriented, and have proven that they can be successful in Babson’s challenging environment. I suggest that you meet up with your Peer Mentor outside of class, get to know them, and really make them part of your network because they can help you in so many ways. In addition to Peer Mentors, this course introduces you to the Undergraduate Center for Career Development (CCD), which is full of wonderful people willing to do whatever it takes to help you best position yourself for a bright future in your dream career.
- Resume and Cover Letter
If you do not yet have a working professional resume, do not worry- I had a sloppy, amateurish high school resume that obviously would not make the cut for my college and professional career. Therefore, I was excited when the class helped us edit and streamline our resumes, as the resume is often the first impression of you that a potential employer has. The class works in close conjunction with the Center for Career Development (CCD) and they provide highly useful resources such as Career Beam and Career Connections that are built solely to help college students polish resumes, build cover letters, and work on interview skills. I was impressed with the multitude of ways that the CCD and this class worked to make sure that Babson students were as prepared as possible for post college life.
- Final Project
The final project for this class is to conduct an informational interview with a professional in the industry of your choice, and this is extremely important and helpful in actually establishing a connection with someone in a career path that you are interested in. I personally gained a great new addition to my network through this project, someone who I am still in contact with today. I highly suggest that you treat this project seriously because the rewards are well worth it.
All in all, Career Development has been very worth my time and absolutely beneficial to me. I firmly believe that the skills and relationships that I have built up to this point will only help me in the future.
Thanks to Calvin for sharing his experience and for such a great fall semester with all the FYS: Career Development students!
