Career Paths of Our Students and Student Workers

By Michael Dabney, Director, News Media & Public Relations, Student Educational Advancement

Employing student workers can be a win-win situation for both the student and the UCSD department that uses the student’s talents. Whether through a paid part time position or a non-paid internship, the student (if the employment experience goes as it should) gains work skills that enhance his or her resumé and overall educational pursuits. And at the same time, the supervisor gets relatively inexpensive but talented support.

But what steps can departments take to help their student workers become even more career-ready, especially in these challenging economic times?

Indeed, student workers provide an invaluable service at UCSD, where approximately 1,700 undergraduates are employed in Student Affairs areas alone, reports the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

Andrew Ceperley, Career Services director, says, “Student employees make essential contributions to campus offices, enabling staff and faculty to concentrate additional time and efforts on serving students and performing other important duties.”

It is also readily acknowledged that without their part-time student employees and interns, many campus departments would be hard-pressed to offer the level of customer service they do to students, parents, faculty, visitors and other departments. In Student Affairs, UCSD students work on campus as online tutors and college peer advisors, research assistants, campus newspaper staffers, campus tour guides, residence assistants, Web designers, peer health advisors, note-takers, customer service representatives, and in many other roles.

“Because of the wide range of student workers at UCSD, it is always good for us to reflect on the level of skills that they are learning while employed with us,” says Ceperley, whose area employs twelve students, including six career counselors. “For instance,” he asks, “are we getting to know these students and engaging them in work experiences from which they can gain optimal skills for the real world?”

Research delving into such questions is suggesting that meaningful student work experiences can guide students in deciding what college major or career to pursue, as well as giving them the necessary skills to enter the job market after graduation. However, recent research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) suggests that although students are participating in work experiences during college, many of these experiences may not be going far enough in engaging the student in meaningful ways. The NACE study found that many of today’s college undergraduates are entering the workplace without adequate ability in written and spoken communication, presentation skills, in addition to having a poor work ethic and inadequate teamwork and time management skills.

Internships and other work experiences in college can enhance students’ development of such skills—if coupled with mentoring, hands-on learning and other enrichment, according to staff in UCSD’s Academic Internship Program (AIP). AIP offers students the opportunity to apply academic knowledge and skills in diverse corporate and community settings while earning academic credit for internships. In fact, a NACE study found that the majority of employers it surveyed preferred hiring recent college graduates who had completed an internship over those who did not.

And in a related finding, 29 percent of those responding to a Career Services survey of the most recent graduating class of UCSD report securing their first job out of college by parlaying their internships or previous jobs into a viable position.

“But as successful as UCSD’s 2008 graduates were in securing employment,” says Ceperley, “we recognize the continued downturn in the entry-level job market in recent months.”

As a result, he says, Career Services is launching a Job Search Stimulus Package especially designed for graduating seniors. This quarter-long series includes skill development programs on resume development, interview preparation, and alumni networking strategies, plus events emphasizing the industries, academic programs, and geographic locations with high potential for employment opportunities.