Left to right: (UC Berkeley career counselor), Juan Azuara, Christian Merino, Evan Ho, and Lynn Walker (BCF College Success Coordinator)
BCF staff visited the UC Berkeley Career Center last week with several scholars to find out what services are available to students. “Do you know the top reason students come to our career office? To seek help finding internships,” Sharron O’Connor, a CAL career counselor, emphasized. “Academics are important, but students also need hands-on experience!” CAL students who have internship experience are five times more likely to get an offer of employment and earn $10,000-$20,000 more in their first jobs out of school.”
Juan, an Economics major is interested in finding out about applying for graduate school, and Evan, a Biology major with an interest in veterinary school, hopes to get some hands on work experience with animals over the summer. Sharron introduced the scholars to CAL’s Career Center site, “Callisto” and walked the students through a web search that provides current job, internship, and fellowship openings. Students can also make mini-appointments to get answers to quick questions or longer appointments for help with graduate school applications, mock interviews, resume and cover letter help, or to complete skill and interest inventories, if they are unsure about their career path. A foreign diplomat is also stationed at the UC Berkeley Career Center to guide students interested in Foreign Service careers. No matter what a student’s career plans/needs are their campus career centers are a great place to begin research and to take an active role in planning their careers.
So what are you waiting for? Take some sound advice from Juan, “If you want to learn more about research opportunities, internships, and graduate school, go to your Career Center!” Contact BCF, College Success Coordinator, Lynn Walker at lynn@berkfund.org for more information about internships, campus resources and upcoming BCF career development activities.
