Health and Human Services Professional Development

Strategies for Communication and Organization When Struggling in Classes During the Pandemic By: Jill Bowers & Sabrina Roley It is always best to turn  the assignment in early or by the due date. Yet, we have been living in a pandemic. I am a graduate student and know that a lot of students struggle with online classes though that is their only option right now. Some of us work at least part-time while navigating a full course load and have family responsibilities. Some students are trying to home-school a few children and or struggling to access the Internet from home because everyone in their home is online at the same time. The struggle is real. But, we will get through it, and there are many things that we can do to take responsibility for our course work and life. Small changes can also influence how professors respond to us. Professors continuously hear about students needing or asking for extensions with assignments, yet some individuals take the wrong approach with thei...

Why YOU Should Get Involved in Professional Organizations and Where to Start by   Kimi Crossman   on   July 9, 2013   Many students are unsure of the purpose of professional organizations or why to get involved.  The large number of organizations and many hard-to-remember acronyms don’t help make the process of getting involved any easier either.  However, there are many benefits for joining professional organizations as a student or even while working in pursuit of a different position for the future.  For example,  getting involved in professional organizations can help you to meet people in your field, provide opportunities for you to volunteer for agencies or organizations in your field. For more on benefits to joining professional organizations, see  5 Reasons College Students Should be Involved in Professional Organizations – Mashable . When you decide to start getting involved, you really will want to maximize the time and ener...

Are Membership Dues Worth It? by   Jill Bowers   on   September 11, 2013   I was recently an invited guest speaker in a career/professional development course for seniors. When talking about the importance of networking to students’ professional development, I had one student who raised concerns about membership dues in national organizations. She asked if it would be sufficient to get involved at state or student levels rather than a national organization because she had heard it was more expensive to get involved in national organizations. Excellent question! My response to this question is: no,   it is not absolutely necessary for undergraduates…, and you have to decide what is right and feasible for YOU . There are a variety of national organizations you could get involved in for any given major. If you are a family and consumer sciences’ student, see your “area of study” on the  family and consumer sciences page  for a list of profes...