Month: January 2012

Career Spotlight: Social Worker

Do you dream of changing the world?  Many people with such a passion find a calling in social work careers.  Social workers focus on improving the quality of life for populations such as the elderly, those suffering from poverty, abuse victims, people who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, and those experiencing terminal illness.

Baylor offers an undergraduate degree in social work, the Bachelor of Social Work.  Baylor also offers a Master of Social Work degree for advanced study, and students with undergraduate majors in other areas can still apply to the graduate program in social work.  Students with backgrounds in psychology, sociology, economics, political science, and child and family studies might be particularly interested.

To learn more about the day-to-day tasks of a social worker, use the following links:

Description of a social worker– Occupational Outlook Handbook

Child, Family, and School Social Workers– O*Net OnLine

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers– O*Net OnLine

Healthcare Social Workers– O*Net OnLine

Is it Too Early to Look for a Summer Job?

Considering that we just returned from Christmas Break, you might be shocked that I would suggest that it is time to plan for summer.  You can complete ignore my advice, of course, but career-minded students are wise to begin the early phases of seeking summer employment.

Specifically, students who are interested in summer internships, research opportunities, and camp counseling positions need to be researching their options NOW.  These positions are typically competitive and have specific deadlines, sometimes months in advance.  If you have your sights set on a specific employer, go ahead and familiarize yourself with their summer opportunities, application process, and deadline for applying.

If you will be seeking the traditional summer job–seasonal, part-time work–it may be too early to submit an application.  However, you could increase your chances of landing a summer job by doing a bit of research on the front end.  Do you know anyone who works for an employer you are considering (maybe a friend’s parent or a fellow church member)?  You could contact them to ask how their employer typically handles summer opportunities and casually express your interest.  They might even offer to pass your name along, so that when you complete the formal application, your name will be familiar to the hiring manager.

A final piece of advice…if you are going to work this summer, try your best to identify opportunities that would give you relevant experience.  With that, I mean that you want to try to acquire skills and experience that pertain to the full-time career you are pursuing.  You can identify the necessary skills and experiences by reviewing full-time job postings, as if you were looking for one of those positions today.

If you are unsure of your career direction, take advantage of Career Counseling early in the semester.  If  you know your direction, but you would like assistance with a job or internship search, contact Career Services.

Majoring in French- New Podcast Available

Welcome back to campus on this rainy Monday.  Let the image above take you away to blue skies for a moment.  While you were gone, the Career Counseling department recorded a new podcast.  Click here to listen to the interview with Dr. Duran about majoring in French.  Did you know that French is the official language of 27 countries or that you can take courses at Baylor devoted entirely to the city of Paris?  You will learn all of this and more in this latest installment of the Meet the Majors Podcast Series.