Career Corner: College steps for the right career path

Extracurricular activities are one outlet that students have to help build their professional skills.  There are many other ways to get one's career on track.

For freshmen that are at the start of their college journey, exploring your options is the key.

Joining a student club can allow you to make new friends and become comfortable with the environment at Baruch.

Freshmen students are advised to attend several workshops the Starr Career Development Center (SCDC) offers; everything from Resume Writing to Using LinkedIn is offered.

Freshmen students are highly encouraged to apply to the Rising Starr Sophomore Program (RSSP).  RSSP is a career development and leadership program for sophomores; interested students must apply during the spring semester of their freshmen year.

During your sophomore year, students should begin to take more concrete steps towards identifying their career goals. Charting one's course is the objective.

If you haven't done so already, you should be taking full advantage of the SCDC resources by scheduling a resume review session with a counselor or Peer for Career as well as attending the cover letter writing workshop and various career and internship fairs.

Additionally, students can take advantage of the Networking feature on Starr Search and, or The Mentoring group on LinkedIn to help identify alumni who are willing to provide advice and information to students about various careers. 

Applying for internships during your sophomore year is a good idea. Internships allow students to gain experience in their chosen field as well as strengthen their desire to pursue a particular major.

If you apply to unpaid internships, keep in mind that the Center offers Zero Credit Internships.  This program is designed for students that have not yet been admitted to any of the schools.

Sophomores majoring in finance can also apply to be a part of the Starr Career Development Center's Financial Leadership Program (FLP).

Finally, students interested in attending law school have the option of joining the Max Berger Pre-Law Program.

As juniors, one's priority should be using the experience and the skills gained through club activities, coursework and leadership programs to implement one's career plan.

The SCDC assists you in making this transition by providing services like Mock Interviews and Job Searching workshops.

Junior year is also the time for students to enrich their experience at Baruch by studying abroad or participating in competitive programs such as Global Student Certificate.

For juniors, it is mandatory that you do the On-campus Recruiting (OCR) web tutorial and it is encouraged that you attend an OCR workshop.

Through OCR, corporate recruiters from companies, including JP Morgan, Macy's, PwC, Verizon, and Disney come on campus to interview juniors for summer internships between their junior and senior years.

For seniors it is time to launch your career. Students will have the opportunity to participate in OCR to find a full-time position.

As seniors, one can expect to do a lot of networking and it is recommended that you attend the SCDC's Networking 101: Making Connections workshop as well as various Corporate Presentations and Information Sessions.

Students who intend to go to graduate school can receive guidance from the staff at the Starr Career Development Center.

Accounting majors interested in becoming CPAs will need to make an action plan to meet the CPA requirements. 

This four-year plan lists some of the resources that students at Baruch College have access to through the Starr Career Development Center.

Each and every student at Baruch has the opportunity to use these services and many others to discover and accomplish his or her personal and professional goals, and we encourage them to take advantage of it.