Myth Buster Monday: Career Experience

“Scream-Fest”

Myth: There’s no way to learn about a position or career before getting the job.

Trying to figure out what you want to do in life can overwhelm you, and make you SCREAM IN HORROR. But, never make yourself feel too overwhelmed and pressured when facing your future career. There are ways to learn about a career field before deciding that that’s what you’ll do!
Job Shadowing is a great method to see whether or not that career is something you enjoy. You get to see a “day-in-the-life”. The great thing about this method is that you can shadow anyone you know! It you have a family member, friend, colleague, a professional acquaintance, or maybe even someone you haven’t met before! It’s as easy as sending this person an email, calling them, or talking to them to make sure it’s okay for you to shadow them for a day. 
Informational conversation is another cool way to learn more about a potential career field. Here, you can learn not just about the job, but also the company, the industry, and the career field you’re thinking about! This is allows you to ask a variety of questions you’ve been wondering. Like job shadowing, the person you speak with can be anyone—friend, family, colleague, etc.! Just make sure to contact them to set up a time that’s good for both of you. 
Internships are another unique method that gives you a direct, hands-on look into what that potential career field would be like. The advantage of an internship is that it provides you with a first-hand look into what you would be doing in this field—a test-run if you chose this field. It’s short-term, so if you realize you don’t like this career field, there are no obligations! But if you find out you do like it, some employers offer full-time or part-time employment after the internship’s complete! To search for internship opportunities, check out Hire-A-Vol through your MyUTK. 
Career Services offers resources to help you determine whether or not that potential career is right for you. Our college consultants can provide insight and advice into that career field as well as provide potential employers for you to set an informational conversation or job shadow with. To set up an appointment with your consultant, call Career Services at (865) 974-5435. As mentioned, our Hire-A-Vol system lists internship opportunities if you want to “test-run” your career field. Hire-A-Vol also has part-time, full-time, and co-op opportunities as well! Career Services also offers the Strong Interest Inventory for current students who are completely unsure what career field is right for them. For more information on the SII, call or stop in Career Services at Dunford Hall.