The Center for Academic and Professional Success is hosting a series of career events meant to bridge the gap between students and prospective employers. Some of the events are Finance 101: Managing Money in College featuring Northwestern Mutual on Oct. 22 at 12:30 p.m. and the NSU Graduate and Professional School Fair on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m.
The CAPS office is the university’s home for career and academic advising. Johnny Kevorkian, associate director of employer relations, considers its work to be a key part of the college experience.
“College isn’t just getting good grades. It’s about building your network, building experiences and building your resume, because you don’t want to graduate and have nothing on your resume,” Kevorkian said.
Industry employers from the Emma Bowen Foundation, rbb Communications and Big Reach PR attended CAPS’s recent event, “What Can I Do with My Major? Communications Edition,” on Sept. 17. The employers spoke about the skills that lead to professional success and the traits that make future hires stand out. They also offered several opportunities for employment at the end of the event.
“[In] the future, we’re looking to bring more companies from around the United States who have some virtual opportunities,” Kevorkian said. “There are so many opportunities; companies need accountants, people [who study] public health and graphic designers.”
Students like Kamil Rodriguez, junior music major, are eager to be part of these programs to learn about careers related to their major. Rodriguez thinks it’s helpful having companies with knowledge about his major on campus. He prefers having them here because it’s easier than having to look for them off campus.
CAPS works to alleviate stress students may feel when thinking about postgraduate plans. For students like Vanessa Norona, junior public health major, these CAPS career events help ensure a track will be laid for life after graduation.
“The career fairs are getting kind of important right now. I want to go into PA school, so it’s very vital for me to get connections and network,” Norona said.
Norona believes these events would benefit from a larger presence on social media.
“Getting more involved with the social media, I think, that’s how you reach a lot of people, at least at NSU,” Norona said. “I think just making [posts] interactive and making it fun will make students feel more comfortable to be in front of it.”
Rodriguez echoed these sentiments. He believes CAPS should focus more on cultivating an inviting social media presence compared to sending emails about the events.
“They [need] different ways of promoting it where it looks like something fun and not like more academic stuff, which I’m sure most students already have a lot of,” Rodriguez said.
Wow! I had no idea CAPs can be so helpful! Every school should have opportunities like this