Every student dreams about the day when they get to walk across the stage, move the tassel, and throw their caps in the air screaming “I did it!”
The idea of finally getting to step into the real world after graduation is exciting, but before reaching that point it is important that students have properly prepared themselves for life after graduation.
Throughout the four-year matriculation in college, students take classes that align with their majors and can join extracurriculars and partake in internships to prepare them for their future careers outside of the campus doors.
Nevaeh Champ, a fourth-year business student, says her internship experiences through college have prepped her for her future career as a project manager.
“I have been fortunate enough to be selected for two internships, in which I obtained both through LinkedIn. The first was at Liberty Mutual Insurance as a data analyst. This was not directly related to my field of study, but it did give me some of the technical skills that I need in my field, and the experience at this company was great and an overall great work environment,” Champ said. “I have an upcoming internship this summer with National Council Compensation Insurance as a customer operation intern. Although I have not finished my internship yet, it is more closely related to my passion for being a project manager in the hotel industry.”
Champ reflected on the organization and leadership roles she’s taken on during her time in college and what she learned from each one.
“Over my years here at FAMU, I have joined three organizations,” Champ said. “The first organization, Big Sister Little Sister (BSLS), taught me how to mentor younger classes. The second was being the vice president and now the president of the FAMU DMV Club which connected me with people from my hometown and taught me financial management. The last organization was Scholars of Finance, where I plan professional development events with Fortune 500 companies.”
Florida A&M University takes pride in preparing students for life after graduation and provides the necessary tools and resources for them to do so. The campus has a Career and Professional Development Center which aids students by offering resources like jobs and hosting events to assist students in their academic journey and career development.
At the career development center, career action plans are created for all classifications with specific goals catered to each group to put students on the right path for their careers and academics. For seniors, the action plans involve things such as participating in on-campus interviews, attending career expos and distributing fine-tuned resumes, developing an employer contact list from organizations of interest, and more which could be found on the Career and Professional Development Center website.
Justin Turk, a fourth-year business student, shared his post-grad plans and what he has done to prepare for the next steps after graduation.
“Post-graduation I plan to move out of Florida and seek a career in medical device sales. I came to this decision because sales is something that I feel comfortable in and seeing different areas and states is something I’ve always wanted to do. Being in SBI, I am constantly forced to speak in public and ask questions about different topics and I feel that has helped me with adjusting to the field I would like to pursue,” Turk said. “I can say that I’ve been using LinkedIn a lot and it has allowed me to get my resume to different companies easier and connect and network with people inside of the sales environment.”
Graduating college is an accomplishment for students, especially being able to enter the next chapter of their lives. With the right preparation and resources given to them and utilized by them, these seniors are ready to step into their careers.