Health and Human Services Professional Development

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...

Start Planning for Grad School by   Jill Bowers   on   August 6, 2013   If you are a junior or senior, you have probably started thinking about whether or not you want to go to graduate school or what programs you may want to apply to. If you are just beginning your undergraduate studies, graduate school may not be on your mind at all yet being proactive NOW will ensure you have good options later…AND many of the things you can do now to start preparing for applying for graduate schools are similar to activities that will help you on the job market! Whether or not graduate school (for example, getting a Master’s Degree or PhD) is right for you depends on your career goals, your major, and many other factors. Many individuals want to pursue graduate school because it gives them greater earning power and more opportunities to advance their career, allows them to switch career paths, buys them time to think more about what they want to do after their academic...

Career Exploration by   Jill Bowers   on   November 9, 2014 After meeting with several students over the last few years about the same things, I’ve determined that “freaking out” about their career-related future is a completely normal experience (seems to be worst for sophomores and seniors). “I don’t know if I chose the right major.” “Should I switch majors?” “How do I know what I’m supposed to do for the rest of my life?” I’ve had at least 20 students in my office in the last few months (no exaggeration) asking me these very questions. This website is more about professional development, and we don’t generally focus on career exploration as a part of professional development. Yet, career exploration is certainly a part of the path. I’ve found that I keep giving students the same responses to each of these questions, so I wanted to share. First, opportunities are all around you, but you have to play an active role in seeking them.   This is true for profes...

Making the Most of Your Winter Break by   Jill Bowers   on   December 24, 2014   I saw this interview on an ABC news channel yesterday ( ABC Interview ) and wanted to share…it includes some strategies for using your winter break to achieve some of your career goals. Some things you could try… Make contacts with agencies, organizations, or businesses in your area.  Ask if they need seasonal employees or volunteers. Some of them may be short-staffed as they try to accommodate employees who are traveling for holidays or those who are parents and need to stay home until their children go back to school. Some may be especially busy this time of year. For example, some social service agencies may see intake increases during holiday or winter months (for example, mental health agencies or organizations that service addicts or families of individuals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol). Making these contacts and gaining work or volunteer experiences over brea...