Five Hidden Gems of the Center for Career Development Website
(To help you enter a career in counseling, and other general information)
As a Psychology and Human Development and Family Sciences double major, attending graduate school is vital for me to enter the counseling field on the path to becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. There are a myriad of resources on the Center for Career Development website that I found to be the most useful in narrowing my career path and what I can be doing to better prepare myself. There is also a ton of helpful general information for students whose interests don’t match my own.
Career Communities (Education and Social Services)
This portion of the Center for Career Development website introduces students to a multitude of industry-focused groups to facilitate the narrowing down of possible career options and opportunities. Not only do these communities connect students to internships, jobs, and potential mentors, it also has information on the many skills that are most useful when thinking about entering particular fields.
Navigating the Education and Social Services community introduced me to the blog post Factors to Consider – Counseling Graduate Programs that went beyond just how to get to graduate school but what the expect afterward, things to consider when choosing a program, and if the program is the right for you.
Navigating the Graduate School Application Timeline
The application timeline provides an outline about when to submit materials, how to initiate the search, as well as a course of action depending upon your programs of interest for an 18-month timetable. The graduate school process can be daunting but a general idea about the ins and outs of the timeline can alleviate some of the stress.
Obtaining my Masters Degree in counseling is my next goal after my undergraduate career. The application timeline sheds light on the GRE, and how to find which schools require or don’t require it.
Student Organization Section of Career Communities
Psychology is a broad field, which can make it difficult to narrow down exactly what you want to do. However, there’s an array of student organizations that can help direct some of those decisions.
Psychology Club is what struck me as the most informative in terms of directing my path into counseling. They meet every other Monday at 7 pm in the library and host meetings with guest lecturers, more information about graduate school, and student advice about deciding on a course schedule that suits you best.
Meet With a Career Coach
This was my first experience with the Center for Career Development as a freshman. I was able to discuss any of my academic and career-related plans. Some of the resources I was introduced to were:
Husky Mentor Network: Connects students with UConn alumni. Once your profile is created, the platform will match you with mentors with similar career interests. You have the ability to get advice on a specific career path and have one-on-one conversations about other career topics such as resume critiques, practice interviews, etc.
O Net: A tool meant to analyze career options with detailed job descriptions. This is the resource I used to land on an LMFT or a career in Social Work when I was first doing my research.
Career On Demand
Short, helpful videos covering résumés/CVs, internships/co-ops, job searching, networking, interviewing, grad school preparation, and social media branding. These videos are convenient for students who need a quick refresher on key aspects of career development or who don’t have the time to stop into the Center for Career Development for an appointment.
There are plenty of other hidden gems to be found within the Center for Career Development’s website not listed here for an array of career opportunities and resources to guide your exploration as a student here at UConn! Whether or not you are going into the field of counseling, all of these options are readily available and can be applied for any purpose that seems necessary.
