What about the rest of us?

So what if your calling just isn’t to be a doctor, lawyer, or corporate business person? Where can we look for up-to-date and relevant resources to help with our internship, job search and career exploration? In this blog, I want to outline some resources and tips for students who are interested in education, grassroots organizing, art and any other fields that are just not as represented at our career center or on campus.

Education

Education is a huge field and growing in need, especially in California. Often when we think of education, the only job opportunity that comes to mind is teaching. While obviously becoming a teacher is many peoples’ goals, it is important to know that not all positions in the education field are limited to teaching. School administrators, district administrators, policy makers, and library sciences are all positions that fall under the umbrella of education without necessarily being in the classroom and teaching students. With that in mind, websites like Vault Guides and Going Global are great starting points, which you can access through the Career Center’s Callisto, that can give you a general overview of some of these less-talked about positions and gain some more options in the education field. Depending on your focus, you might want to consider filling some of your free time with either tutoring, volunteering at a school as assistant to an administrator/librarian or any sort of public policy position. The CalCorps Public Service Center and the YWCA on Bancroft have several great tutoring or mentoring programs that are great resources for Cal students. These experiences along with communication skills, ability to connect with people, and a real passion for improving the education system will make you well on your way to becoming a part of the education field.

Community Organizing and Non-Profit Work

Community organizing and other non-profit work might be a great fit for you if you are really passionate about social justice and equality issues. There are tons of amazing organizations focusing on issues like environmental justice, racial equality, LGBT rights, women’s empowerment and immigrant rights. On the Career Center website we have a lot of outside resources under the “Career Exploration” tab including directories of nonprofit organizations and other national directories. If you still don’t find what you are looking for, something as simple as googling for example “prison rights organizations in the bay area” will give you lots of options in that specific category as well as other related issues. While searching through community organizations and other nonprofit work, it’s important to think about their real focus and how they are attempting to make social change. If all of this aligns with your ideals and motives, you might have found the perfect organization to get more involved with. If you feel this is the field for you, start picking up experiences on campus that focus on the same or similar subject. Countless students orgs as well as resources like the Cal Corps Public Service Center are all great starting points and will give you an idea of what it means to be a student organizer and those skills can then be applied to community organizing.

Art

The art world can be a very intimidating and daunting space to become involved in.
One huge misconception about the art industry is that the only career path available is to be an artist i.e. painter or sculptor. Museum curators, commercial and industrial designers, fashion designers, graphic designers, interior designers as well as other areas of museum work are just a few of the positions that are still very much a part of the professional art field. Some positions even incorporate art and education such as the education sector of a museum or community art center, which might encompass tours and information of the art on exhibit or even art classes. Again, the Career Center website has some great resources for exploring the many options in the larger arts and entertainment field. Under the Career Exploration tab, look for Career Profiles and Guides to give you a greater understanding of the different positions. There are also many other links that will give you some information and places to start your search from focuses of fine arts to museums/libraries to performing arts. If you are interested in this field, look into some campus organizations such as Cal TV, the Berkeley Art Museum, or anything that might give you some creative freedom to explore you specific interest in the larger art world. Also, take advantage of the many art museums and community art centers in Berkeley and the surrounding areas like Oakland and of course San Francisco.

Last Tips and Recommendations

For any of the other fields that are outside of law, medicine and business that I did not specifically address here, the key is to recognize and build your transferrable skills and do what you love to do. Essentially, if you have a liberal arts, humanities or social science major, you are gaining analytical and communication skills that are applicable to almost every position. As with any field, experiences outside of school that showcase your interests and passions as well as networking are essential to being successful. Research the different fields and be completely aware of all of your options and most importantly try out those options through volunteering, internships and paid positions. Professional organizations are also great resources for students are beginning to explore their career options. These can be found as simply as googling “professional associations of [insert field here]” and look through the many options. Use campus organizations as a great stepping stone and skill builder that not only shows leadership and communication skills, but will also keep you excited and engaged outside of your classes. Essentially, it is important to remember to take the steps you need to get involved and gain applicable job skills, but as with any major or career interest, remember to be involved with things that interest you so that you can find a career that not only interests you but that you love as well.

Post by Juliana Steers, 3rd Year Ethnic Studies and Art History Major

Comments

[Recruitment Agencies Auckland]

You hit the nail on the head, Professional organizations have the resources and money to train you. It's the best place to upskill.