Calling All Shutterbugs!

Amateur photographers at Baylor have many opportunities to enhance their skills and perhaps even discover a future career.  Here are a few options:

Majors– Baylor offers several majors that can help you grow from amateur to professional.  Consider these possibilities:

Minors– For those who want just a taste:

Baylor Photo League– A student organization that focuses on hands-on experiences, guest speakers and field trips for the photography enthusiasts on campus.

Now, it’s time to get snapping!  What do you think is the best photo op on Baylor campus?  Tell us in the Comments section.

One Week Down

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Can you believe it?  Tomorrow you will have completed your first week of the Fall 2013 semester.    For some of you, this may have been your very first week of college!  Take a minute and think about how this week went.  As you think back on this week, it may be difficult to believe it has gone by so quickly.  Now might be a great time to recognize the capacity that the semester has to fly by and how important it is to make each day count.  We only have a limited amount of time to spend in college, so let’s make the most of it!

One way to effectively use your time in college is to participate in meaningful activities that will help you plan and prepare for the future.  Involvement in student organizations is a great way to learn more about career opportunities in your interest areas, to gain valuable leadership skills, and to build meaningful friendships with others who share your similar interests.  Tomorrow night, Baylor is hosting “Late Night”, which will offer incredible opportunities for you to visit with representatives from over 160 student organizations.  You can get more details about times and locations on their website here: Late Night.  By talking to representatives, you will be able to gather a little more information about what all is involved in the group and if you think it would be a good fit for you.  Remember that a lot of the organizations geared toward pre-professional and academic areas may bring in speakers from their profession to discuss what they do.  These opportunities are rich for networking and potentially setting up an informational interview or job shadow.

A word of wisdom, however: be mindful of the groups you select to be involved in and don’t over-commit yourself.  Consider how often they meet and remember your course load requirements.

Enjoy Late Night!  Live music, games, and free food sounds like a great way to spend Friday night!!

Careers for Biology Majors

We know that pre-healthcare students flock to the Biology major, but what career options exist for students who are fascinated with life science and do not want to work in the healthcare field?  Too often, I hear the remark made, “All you can do with a biology degree is teach.”  Teaching is a noble and worthy profession, but aside from that, prospective and current biology majors should investigate the wide variety of options available to them post-graduation.  Here are some places to begin your research:

Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta)– an organization for Baylor students who are interested in biology

Career Resources on the Department of Biology website

Biological Sciences WebLinks from Northern Illinois University Career Services

Exploring Careers Through Student Organization Involvement

In high school, students often participate in extracurricular activities to aid in the college admissions process.  As a college student, you can focus on the other benefits that student organization involvement can provide.  Of course, student organizations are great for personal enrichment, social opportunities, and service activities. 

Student organizations can also open your eyes to different ways you can exercise your gifts and talents out in the “real world.”  Many of Baylor’s student organizations regularly host guest speakers from the professional community.  These presentations might help you in choosing a major or identifying career possibilities with your major.  Acquiring leadership experience through such organizations can help in your job search, too.  Visit the list of student organiztions at Baylor to begin considering where you might like to plug in.  Many of these groups have been actively recruiting new members lately, so it is a prime time to try something new to you.

Announcement: Late Night This Friday!

New students, take note.  Late Night is this Friday, and it is perhaps the best opportunity all year for you to learn about ways to get involved in the Baylor community.  Representatives from student organizations will be on hand to tell you about what they do and answer questions you have about plugging in with their groups.  Meaningful involvement in a student organization can offer opportunities to:

  • Engage in activities that you enjoy
  • Make new friends
  • Develop new skills
  • Explore your interests
  • Gain experience relevant to a potential career field

College is more than taking classes and preparing to get a job when you graduate.  This is a time to discover who you are and who you want to be.  You don’t have to wait until Friday to begin checking out your options.  You can start browsing the list of Baylor’s student organizations here.  Mark your calendar…Late Night will start at 9:00 p.m. on Friday and wrap up at midnight.  Click here for more details.

Veterans of Baylor

This message is for a specific group of Baylor students:  veterans of the United States Armed Forces.  Student veterans now have an official way to connect with one another on campus and benefit from the wisdom of Baylor faculty and staff who are also veterans.  Veterans of Baylor will hold their next meeting on Monday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the Air Force ROTC office.  More information on the meeting’s presenter is below:

Mary Thompson, Speaker

Former Marine 

President, Mr. Rooter

Mary will speak about “Operation Enduring Opportunity” a nationwide initiative to hire 75,000 veterans by the end of 2013.

For more information on getting involved with Veterans of Baylor, students can contact Dr. Janet Bagby.

Baylor Business Women

“Baylor Business Women is dedicated to developing a strong network of Christian women to provide opportunities for personal growth and business relationship development by integrating professional insight, integrity and leadership.”

The quote above is the mission statement for Baylor Business Women, a student organization open to any female student who has an interest in working in business.  Majoring in business is not required.  Members can learn from successful business women who serve as mentors and guest speakers to the group.  Also, members can put their business savvy to use in a generous way through the group’s philanthropies:  Prison Entrepreneurship Program and Christian Women’s Job Corp.

For more information, visit the Baylor Business Women website.

Career Events This Week!

It might be nice if making a career decision and landing a job were as simple as following a sign.  Even if that is not realistic, there are members of the Baylor community working hard to simplify your career exploration and job search.  Here are two events that you can take advantage of this week:

Baylor’s S3 Hosting Spurs Sports and Entertainment – A Broad Look at the Sports Industry

Tuesday, February 21, 7 p.m. in Cashion, Room 309.  Four executives from Spurs Sports and Entertainment will be speaking on the sports industry and the career opportunities available.  If you have ever been interested in working in the professional sports industry regardless of your major, then come out and ask questions, and build your network.

Internship and Career Fair

12:30-4:30 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.  This event is for graduating students looking for that first professional job and for students seeking internships.  Different employers seeking Baylor students in all academic fields will be present.  About 90 companies will be in attendance with entry-level career positions and internships.  While some companies do seek specific majors, the majority of companies are open to all majors.  For a complete list of organizations attending, visit https://www.myinterfase.com/baylor/event_view.aspx?token=ZyD08iMBLeH5k6rBY1FVuQ%3d%3d

Gaining Relevant Experience through Community Service

In recent years, job seekers have become more and more aware of the importance of relevant experience when it comes to landing a job.  Most college students tend to think of internships first, if someone suggests that they get experience.  What about students who do not get internships, or those whose parents do not allow them to work?  Volunteering could mutually benefit a student who needs experience and the community in which they live.

Waco has many opportunities for reaching out to those in need.  You could consider getting involved with Urban Missions through the Spiritual Life office.  These activities might appeal strongly to students with interests in ministry, education, social work, art, and agriculture.  Even students with other career goals can benefit from the transferable skills acquired during these types of experiences.

The Student Activities office also coordinates service opportunities in the Waco community.  If you want to unite with fellow students in an organization devoted to service, check out the list of relevant student organizations.

Outside of Baylor-coordinated experiences, students can seek volunteer opportunities through some of the following organizations:

United Way of Waco-McLennan County Partner Agencies

Volunteer Opportunities with the City of Waco and Community Volunteer Opportunities

Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center/Scott & White Healthcare

Providence Healthcare Network

Waco-McLennan County Public Library

The Art Center of Waco

Dr Pepper Museum

Mayborn Museum Complex

Need help identifying your career goal, so you can decide what experiences are relevant?  Make an appointment with Career Counseling.

Nashville hopefuls, check this out!

Uproar Records presents the ASCAP Music Publishing Panel

Join Uproar Records for a panel discussion on the music industry, songwriting, licensing and publishing with ASCAP’s Michael Martin, Nashville senior creative director, and hit country songwriter Elliott Park. The panel will be held Thursday, Oct. 20th from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center.

Elliot Park  http://www.elliottpark.net/

ASCAP  http://www.ascap.com/