Hi fellow Anteaters!!! I hope all of you are ready for this amazing experience at UCI. In this article, I would like to share with you some professional development opportunities available on campus.
I have my own interpretation of professional development as the journey to continuously improving your interpersonal skills and hard skills in order to be better prepared for new challenges in the job market (private sector, government or academia). Indeed, we can improve our competencies in different ways: attending classes, reading, joining an interest group, working, trying new things, making errors, and so on.
Since last September, when I started my Master of Public Policy program, I did a bit of these possibilities. In order to be in contact with students of other UCI department and to better understand UCI dynamics, I joined the Associated Graduate Students. It was a good experience and I was the Co-Chair of the Graduate Research Symposium. From this experience, I improved my communication and management skills. I also expanded my network, not only with other students but with scholars and professionals in Orange County.
Another valuable source of information is my co-hort. By exchanging experiences and helping each other, I could develop my skills (econometrics, writing, presentation and leadership) faster than doing all by myself. I realized that everyone has different background and career objectives, so my classmates are my partners and not my competitors.
I intensively used the resources and events offered by Graduate Resource Center and Division of Career Pathways. I scheduled to attend at least two professional events per month.
Below, I provided the main resources I used at UCI. I hope this information could be valuable for any student, regarding his/her previous career experience or field of research.
Division of Career Pathways
The first resource is the Division of Career Pathways, which serves as the hub for career development and preparation for our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and professionals, as well as a recruitment center for local, regional, and national organizations. For this fall, there are a plenty of interesting events that offer us the opportunity to enhance our soft skills (like communication) and also to increase our exposure to the market (like career fairs).
I attended several professional development seminars. Those classes helped me to tune my resume and curriculum vitae. By the way, I have never realized that those two documents have different styles and objectives. I also learned new communication strategies. The following professional development events I consider particularly valuable:
- Resume Writing – September 6
- Interview Techniques – August 27
- Networking and Your Professional Brand – August 31
During my first year at UCI, I attended several career fairs. I think it is a good idea even if you are not currently looking for a job. It is an opportunity to increase your network, observe how recruiters and students behave, and makes you to be more comfortable on those environments. I would consider attending some of those career fairs:
- Part-Time Job Fair 2018 – September 25
- WuXi AppTec 2018 US Campus Recruiting – October 11
- STEM Career Fair 2018 – October 18
- Fall Career Fair 2018 – October 25
- Law School Fair 2018 – November 5
- Graduate and Professional School Fair 2018 – November 6
Graduate Resource Center
Another great resource is the Graduate Resource Center, which offers workshops and programs designed to support professional development, writing support, communication, preparation of grant and fellowship funding applications, wellness and work-life balance, and mentoring. During my first year at UCI, I used the writing consultant’s service and I attended two certificate programs (Public Speaking: Activate to Captivate and Mentoring Excellence Program)
Other On-Campus Events
There are also other events that could be interesting in other to increase student’s exposure and develop communication skills. The annual Graduate Research Symposium encourages students, faculty, and the public to interact, network, and appreciate all the outstanding graduate and professional student researches presented.
I would also recommend taking a look at the programs and event offer by the ANTrepreneur Center. They offer seminar and opportunities to meet business leaders and entrepreneurs from all over the world.
As you could see, there are several professional development opportunities and the list I provided is just a sample. I advise you to get engaged as soon as possible and enjoy this journey at UCI.
See you on campus and be comfortable to reach me!
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Eduardo AlencarHome Country: BrazilSchool of Social Ecology
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