Emilio Lorenzo is the assistant director of career advisement in NSU’s Office of Career Development. Emilio understands the importance of helping students reach their career goals and works with all students, including undergraduate, graduate and professional level students, to achieve their professional goals.
Emily Tasca is a member of the career advisement team in NSU’s Office of Career Development. She works with current students and alumni at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels to ensure that each individual is supported throughout his or her career exploration and planning process.
Imagine you live on an island called University Island, where it is college every day, and you spend your 9-to-5 going to classes, exploring your interests and discovering what your future career entails beyond this island life. Your biggest goal is to one day leave the island and work in Dream Job City. In order to do so, you need to build a bridge to get you across the water. You know you cannot swim because it is too difficult, and you likely would not succeed. The bridge is your best option, but it will still take some work to get it built. This bridge will not be built overnight, and it will need to be chipped away at each and every semester until graduation. Typically, a bridge is made of bricks and cement; however, this bridge is built on relationships and pre-professional experiences that will prepare you to navigate the challenges of Dream Job City and transition into a well-rounded professional.
There are many ways you can build professional relationships and gain pre-professional experiences. The value in each of these experiences encapsulates, or provides a glimpse, as to what the future would hold within a certain career path, as well as provides an avenue to develop key skills that would be needed in such environments.
These experiences are not limited to just one type of setting, as they can come in many different forms including internships and volunteering. Below we will explore each form of these experiences, and discuss the value you can gain from each one.
Internships
One of the more traditional ways of gaining pre-professional experience is through an internship. An internship can be defined as an experiential opportunity in which you learn soft skills and are exposed to field-specific knowledge. Internships can be essential to building the bridge to Dream Job City. In today’s world, experiences sometimes hold more weight than academic achievements, but when you have both, they work hand in hand.
The soft skills that are developed at an internship can prove invaluable. In this setting, you will be challenged in terms of the nature of the work, which will help you become more savvy in your communication (written and oral), problem solving approach, critical thinking and overall ability to handle a multitude of responsibilities while collaborating with others in a workplace setting. Another benefit of such opportunities is the intangibles involved. This is an ideal way to build your brand, or how others perceive you as a professional. When you do go to Dream Job City, you may already have a relationship with a key employer of interest or have been hired after your initial internship. Internships can be the foundation of your pre-professional bridge, providing support and direction while being the catalyst towards understanding and reaching your career goals.
Volunteering
Another form of pre-professional experience is volunteering. Although volunteering is not always as desirable at first glance, participating in an unpaid opportunity can have tremendous value. In fact, one thing that you showcase by doing something for free is that you are truly passionate about it.
While volunteering in the community is always a great experience, being strategic about choosing where you volunteer is beneficial toward your overall development. Volunteering isn’t just limited to community involvement. For example, maybe you are a marketing student who is volunteering for a non-profit organization and have been tasked with managing the social media accounts while developing visually appealing graphics for their marketing. Although the experience is unpaid, it would still be considered an in-field experience that, like an internship, can be put on your resume to highlight relatable skills and knowledge.
Gaining transferable skills in the field is not the only reason pre-professional experiences are useful, as they can also be an ideal way to build relationships with key stakeholders in your future.
Volunteering and internships can be key contributors to your overall professional development, including how other professionals perceive you. Now that you have come to understand the value found within pre-professional experiences, you will be better equipped to start building that bridge to Dream Job City.
