Choosing a major is just one of the dilemmas incoming freshmen face before move-in day. To help those who enter college as undeclared majors in their career paths, the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services offers a variety of programs.
“We do have programs that are set up to help, in particular, first year students and sophomores who are still undecided about their major,” Nancy Hutchison, director of the Cooperative Education and Career Services, said.
Hutchinson often meets with students to discuss what fields they are interested in and assists them with class registration to explore curriculums they find intriguing. She also is able to assist with students who may want to change their major.
“If students think they want to be a communication major and then they start taking some classes they might find out this isn’t really what they thought. They can come see us and we have some inventories and some online tools that can really help them asses their skills and their values to get a better picture of what might be a good fit as a major for them,” Hutchison said.
With a wealth of connections in many different professional areas, Hutchison is able to place students in a job-shadowing program to see what the environment of the workplace is like in person.
As students advance in their college careers, the office helps to mold their professional path through an externship program aimed at first year students and sophomores.
The co-op opportunity is aimed at second semester sophomores and juniors where they can earn credit while working in their chosen field. It is offered each semester for all disciplines ranging from education, communication, and political science majors.
“It’s a full semester experience where they’re actually working. That is an academic-based program and that’s a pretty big piece of what we do. Essentially, that goes through the four years as students advance,” Hutchison said.
Hutchison noted that another key element of the office was the Job Source Database where students can submit resumes to employers across the region.
“We’ve had it now for four years. We’re always adding new features to it. That is an international database offering employment opportunities to students and alumni,” Hutchison said. “Students can upload cover letters, writing samples, resumes, and unofficial transcripts. They can search for co-op jobs in the database once they’ve been approved.”
The staff is available all year for any questions or concerns that may arise during their time at Cabrini.
For more information on the opportunities offered, the office can be found on Twitter (@cabrinicareers) and Facebook under its office name.
