Career Center Session: Networking, Assessment & Career Planning

Overview

  • Purpose: create awareness of career direction and resources available; materials are in Canvas; emails and contacts provided for easy access.
  • Presenter: Mike Leestebt, Assistant Vice Provost of the Career Center; oversees the entire career center.
  • Career Center scope: about 30 staff members with a strong service orientation to help students land jobs; location in the business school; staff available to help students through the process.
  • Networking emphasis: networking will be 70–80% of the job-search process over a four-year college period; importance of making connections with employers, alumni, and professionals.

Personal context and career philosophy

  • Mike’s personal journey illustrates non-linear paths: college athlete with multiple early interests (athletic training, coaching, pre-med) and multiple major changes.
  • Early work experiences (Champs; Dillard’s selling shoes) led to exposure to pharmaceutical reps and doctors, which influenced initial career directions.
  • A pivotal move: bought into an Enterprise Rent-A-Car management-training path; despite modest initial pay, it offered rapid growth and leadership development (year 1: mid-80s; year 2: around $100k–$125k+; sustained growth for six years).
  • A career shift occurred when a friend mentioned another opportunity; since then, stayed with that path for 14+ years.
  • Core idea: a person’s career can be shaped by surrounding opportunities; the 18-year-old’s broad interests can converge into a single, meaningful career later.
  • Ethical/philosophical note: belief that “God’s plan” can influence career direction; comfort in uncertainty and trust that experiences along the way contribute to a future fit.

Key concepts for career planning

  • Three-collision model for career fit:
    • Skills, experience, and capabilities from your majors/backgrounds.
    • Passions, attitudes, and interests.
    • Job market realities: opportunities, trends, and geographic/industry dynamics.
  • Real-world implication: you can align seemingly unrelated interests (e.g., music, health care consulting) by identifying transferable skills and market niches.
  • Networking as a skill:
    • Activities include information sessions, employer panels, lobby tables, coffee talks, and panels with alumni.
    • Networking is essentially relationship-building; think of it as making friends in a business context.
  • Research and decision funnel:
    • Start with big questions about industries that excite you; narrow down through tools and events to one or two target areas.
  • Data-driven approach:
    • The career center is data-forward and tracks metrics like placement rates, salary data by major, and demographics.
    • You can use data to demonstrate ROI/ROE of education when talking with parents or advisors.

Career center offerings and how to use them

  • On-campus resources and access:
    • Information sessions: 30–40 minute company presentations; learn about culture, locations, internships; opportunities to ask questions; often free refreshments.
    • Post-session outreach: introduce yourself to company reps to explore opportunities for internships or roles.
    • Workshops and lobby tables; employers in the foyer; coffee talks available with employers.
    • Employer panels: include alumni or students who have completed internships; helps with real-world insights.
  • Networking mindset:
    • Don’t fear networking; treat it like making friends in a professional setting.
    • Effective networking is about developing ongoing relationships rather than one-off contacts.
  • Research steps and tools:
    • Start with industries that interest you; identify tools and channels to engage (events, sessions, alumni networks).
    • Use campus resources to research companies, locations, and roles.
  • Professing and planning through data:
    • The Career Center provides salary data by major, including mean and median salaries, and five-year salary trajectories.
    • Metrics include placement rates, defined as: the number of graduates who were looking for a job and landed one.
    • Data can be accessed via QR codes, annual reports, and linked resources; business school often shows the strongest performance in job outcomes.
  • Accessibility:
    • Each contact (e.g., presenter or staff) has email addresses and direct links; many slides include hyperlinks to department pages.
    • You can schedule appointments with staff for personalized guidance.

Salary data and metrics (data literacy emphasis)

  • Key concepts you’ll encounter:
    • Mean salary by major: the average salary across graduates in a given major.
    • Median salary by major: the middle value when salaries are ordered from low to high.
    • Average current salary: the typical earnings for graduates at the present time.
    • Average five-year salary: projected earnings over a five-year horizon; used to gauge short- to mid-term earning potential.
  • Sample formulas (for your notes and future analysis):
    • Mean salary across N graduates: Sˉ=1Next∑<em>i=1Ns</em>i\bar{S} = \frac{1}{N} ext{\sum}<em>{i=1}^{N} s</em>i
    • Median salary (ordered salaries $s{(1)} \, \leq \, s{(2)} \, \leq \, \cdots \ \leq \, s_{(N)}$):
    • If N is odd: extMedian=s(N+12)ext{Median} = s_{\left(\frac{N+1}{2}\right)}
    • If N is even: extMedian=s<em>(N2)+s</em>(N2+1)2ext{Median} = \frac{s<em>{\left(\frac{N}{2}\right)} + s</em>{\left(\frac{N}{2}+1\right)}}{2}
    • Five-year salary trajectory (illustrative): Sˉ<em>5yr=1N∑</em>i=1NSi(5yr)\bar{S}<em>{5\text{yr}} = \frac{1}{N} \sum</em>{i=1}^{N} S_i^{(5\text{yr})}
  • Return on Education concepts (ROI/ROE):
    • General ROI formula: ROI=Lifetime earnings with degree−Lifetime earnings without degreeCost of degree\text{ROI} = \frac{\text{Lifetime earnings with degree} - \text{Lifetime earnings without degree}}{\text{Cost of degree}}
    • ROE (as discussed in context): often discussed as a way to evaluate the value of education relative to cost; conceptual interpretation rather than a fixed standard metric in this session.
  • Additional data points:
    • Demographic breakdowns by major are included in the data sets.
    • Five-year salary data and current salary figures are available for zero to sixty-five-plus years of experience.
    • The data is meant to inform decision-making, not to dictate a single path.

Stepping Blocks career assessment (the process you’ll complete)

  • Access and setup:
    • Use the QR code or Canvas link to access Stepping Blocks.
    • Create an account: input email; subsequent logins require a one-time code; your dashboard will show: Home, Personality, Outcome, and Search 360.
  • First required step:
    • Take the personality assessment; it takes a few minutes.
    • After completion you’ll see an output (sample shown as a Jack Sparrow-themed report).
  • Output contents (examples):
    • Relationships and emotions: how you relate to different types of people and teams; compatibility with groups.
    • Personal profile: who you are and collaboration preferences.
    • Strengths and top personality matches.
  • Deliverables and reflection:
    • Download the report; upload it to Canvas as part of the assignment.
    • If you want to tailor to a specific field (e.g., marketing), select that area to align results with relevant roles and salary ranges (e.g., marketing majors with mean salaries around 120{,}000$–130{,}000$$, based on alums data).
    • You’ll find major-specific salary and demographic information within the tool.
  • Worksheet and two-tab structure:
    • Step 1: Personality output uploaded; Step 2: Worksheet interactions (two tabs are used).
    • Tab 1 (Industry interest and skills): list the industry interests, matching skills you possess, and skills you want to develop; capture target salary expectations such as average current and five-year salaries.
    • Tab 2 (Search 360): for a chosen job title (e.g., Financial Analyst) and alignment with your major; includes major-based filters, geographic preferences, and education requirements; provides employment information and geographic distribution.
  • How to complete the assignment:
    • Fill in both tabs, download, save as a Word document, and upload to Canvas for grading.
    • There are no right or wrong answers; the effort and thoughtful input drive the learning process.
  • Support and questions:
    • For word-meaning questions or clarifications about the worksheet, contact the VTA (email linked under her name in the materials).
  • Checkpoints and next steps:
    • After completing Stepping Blocks, revisit today’s checkpoints and set up a meeting with the career team.
    • Use campus resources: talk with friends, relatives, alumni, and professors to support your discovery journey.
    • The overarching goal is to begin the career assessment/discovery process early and iteratively, building toward a concrete plan.

Geographic, experiential, and diversity considerations

  • Geographic preferences:
    • Open vs. location-bound: consider whether you want to stay near family or venture away; weigh options like staying in Texas or moving elsewhere.
  • Interests and experiences:
    • Align current class work and outside-of-class activities (short-term projects; long-term projects) with potential careers.
  • Diversity of experience:
    • Consider roles like healthcare consulting to combine interests (e.g., health care + business consulting).
    • Embrace diverse experiences to broaden potential pathways and opportunities.

Practical implications and campus integration

  • The career center emphasizes tangible outputs (data, salary ranges, and placement rates) to inform decisions and to communicate value to parents or mentors.
  • There is an emphasis on early engagement (first-year students) to build relationships, learn the process, and start assembling a network.
  • Commitment to ongoing learning: use events, panels, sessions, and connecting with alumni to maintain momentum throughout college.

Quick references and next steps for students

  • Do now:
    • Access Stepping Blocks via Canvas/QR code; set up your account; complete the personality assessment.
    • Download the sample output and begin to understand how your results relate to potential career paths.
  • Mid-term:
    • Fill out the two-tab worksheet in Stepping Blocks; save as Word; upload to Canvas.
    • Review major-specific salary and placement data; consider how to present ROI/ROE to others.
  • Ongoing:
    • Attend information sessions, workshops, and employer panels.
    • Schedule meetings with career staff for personalized guidance.
    • Build a network by connecting with peers, alumni, professors, and professionals you meet on campus.
  • Contact reminders:
    • Use the hyperlinks in slides or the Canvas page to email the staff or VTA for assignment questions or to set up a meeting.

Key takeaways

  • Your career path is shaped by a blend of your skills, passions, and market opportunities.
  • Networking is an essential, regular activity — treated as building friendships in a professional context.
  • Data literacy (mean/median salaries, placement rates, geographic data) empowers better decisions and better conversations with parents and mentors.
  • The Stepping Blocks assessment is a structured starting point to identify fit, with a concrete two-tab worksheet and a required personality assessment.
  • Start today: engage with information sessions, panels, and career-center resources to begin building a portfolio of experiences and connections.