When I first approached my college career, I thought I had everything figured out. Go to college, have fun, get the degree, and go into the workforce full-time. Almost five years post-graduation and I can confidently say that is not how it went. Some of the most transformative opportunities I took part in involved my internships, research, and other campus extracurricular activities. Whether it was working with local dive centers and on-campus clubs or taking that leap of faith and applying for the research grant, each of these crucial involvements shaped my four years.
I came into college as an Environmental Studies major but with no direction as to where I wanted to take my career or where to even begin exploring. Over the course of my first year, I went through countless meetings with my professors and academic advisor before I was directed to my college’s career center. Those meetings, while informative and beneficial, were still missing a certain aspect of exploratory development. Once I started working with this career center, it did not take long for the coach to help me marry my professional and personal passions and streamline my academic career into what would be my future professional career. A few more meetings and general guidance led me to my first internship experience the summer after my first year, and multiple others in the years to follow.
I took a lot of chances with my internships and got involved with a lot of different sectors of environmental studies, from scientific research on whales to acting as a tour guide for an environmental history museum. Each of these internship and volunteer positions helped me formulate certain transferrable skillsets and love for the multi-faceted major I had chosen. In turn, being involved in these experiences led me to be more involved with other clubs and research on campus to help facilitate more professional growth. I got involved in sponsored research surrounding Tampa Bay’s water quality and management, worked with environmentally focused clubs on campus, and found a passion for environmental policy and advocacy that ultimately led me to pursue environmental law and law librarianship.
My different experiences helped me develop my organizational and time management skills, improved my oral and written presentation skills, and made me feel more confident as I moved into more professional environments and degrees. College flew by but created an irreplaceable foundation of skills, experiences, and confidence that I needed to move forward in my career. Along the way, I learned that no academic or professional path is perfectly linear and that you can always find a takeaway from each success and failure. Every institution has its own way of showing support to its students and their overall success; I found mine through my academic advisor and career center.
The University of South Florida Center for Career and Professional Development offers an abundance of professionally oriented support and guidance to all of our students across Tampa, Saint Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee. If you are struggling, curious, or just looking to refine your already developed skills, schedule an appointment with us on Handshake or visit us in SVC 2088 to get involved with our office so we can help guide you on your professional development journey!
