Career Feature Kickoff: Kristina

The other day I was reading somewhere that it takes an average of 8-10 years after graduation to figure out what you would like to do for a career. Growing up I was always one of those kids that was jealous of the people that knew they wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, whatever, since 4th grade or something like that. Now that I am several years out of college I realize how true the 8-10 year thing is. It took me awhile after college to figure out exactly what I wanted to do and my husband is currently training for his dream job which will put him right in the middle of that 8-10 average.

I think part of the reason it's so hard to pick a career or major in college is because you don't always know what's out there or you think one job sounds great until you actually start doing it only to realize it's not what you thought or not a good fit for your personality.

I've decided to start a new career profile section on this blog to give a behind the scenes look of various jobs. It's one thing to read about a job description and another thing to meet a real person doing that job. Since I primarily photograph high school and college seniors most of the interviews will be with individuals that have been working full time for 10 years or less ( I feel long term career goals start with short term career goals) AND, most importantly, LOVE THEIR JOBS.

I am really excited to kick off this new section by interviewing Kristina. Not only does she love her job, she just so happens to help other people find jobs they will love.


Job: Director of Programs

What is your typical day like?

I manage the internship interviews that employers conduct on our college’s campus.
Sometimes I’ll meet with students to discuss their career plans or help them figure out what they want to do. Often I find people focus on their interests versus their skills. You do want to have a job that interests you, but many college students don’t even realize the many jobs that are out there. That is why starting with skills and values can be a more useful place to work from, so that they can fully explore their possibilities. Even as graduating college seniors, most students don’t know jobs beyond teacher, doctor, lawyer, banker, engineer, or scientist. A lot of what I do is guiding students in the right direction, but not providing answers necessarily. There is still a lot of work they have to do after our meeting to actually learn more about who they are. I recommend that all students be as open-minded as possible until they’ve really explored all their options.

We spend a lot of time marketing ourselves to students, alumni, employers, or other people in the college’s administration. I also meet with students that have questions or would like their resume's reviewed.

What education is required? Is there any on the job training?

The industry of higher education values higher education. So most people in our office have a Master’s degree. Most have it in higher education or counseling, but mine is actually in Political Science. I got my degree thinking I would become a professor, but I found out that the jobs were very difficult to get. So I decided to pursue the administration side of higher education. I learned most of what I do on the job. I started out as a student assistant in the career center and learned everything from my co-workers and supervisors.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Advantages:
-Work with really smart and interesting people
-Students are very appreciative of your work, and it’s also really cool to be a part of their success
-Good benefits (4-5 weeks vacation, use of college facilities, etc.)

Disadvantages:
-Lower pay than if I was working in corporate America. However, it is one of the higher-paying non-profit jobs
-Hard to go home sometimes; there is always more work that can be done and you see how much the work you do helps students. However, you have to set boundaries.

Any final thoughts you would like to share?
Be open to careers! Don’t commit to something until you’ve researched other possibilities. I see so many high school students saying “I’m going to be a lawyer/doctor” when many lawyers and doctors these days regret that career path. It still might be the career for you, but see what else is out there. Take career assessments like the Myers-Brigg and then get the book “Do What You Are.” Finally, don’t put so much pressure on yourself about figuring out what you are going to do with your life. Most alumni I talk to slowly found their way to the career that they ultimately ended up with. And usually it was nothing like what they expected. Someone once told me that finding a career is somewhat serendipitous. See what life brings you.