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For thousands of University of Northern Colorado graduates each year, commencement signifies a conclusion—the culmination of years of study, sacrifice, examination and reflection. But commencement also means a beginning or new start. With new chapters come excitement, anticipation, and the exhilaration that dreamers can finally go out into the world and realize their dreams.

But with excitement and expectation can also come hesitation, indecision and sometimes fear; it’s the difference between eager and anxious. No matter what your age, where do you turn when you have questions about your future? Family, friends and the Internet all offer their own advice and opinions. But Marlane Mowitz, PhD, director of UNC Career Services, believes she has the perfect answer.

Although it tends to be the last place people in need look, Mowitz says Career Services at the University of Northern Colorado provides a full-service, client-centered approach to academic major selection, career decision-making, internship and job search assistance, and testing services for students and alumni wishing to pursue postgraduate employment and graduate school opportunities. Mowitz says Career Services’ main mission is to educate, counsel and prepare UNC students and alumni to make effective decisions regarding lifelong career development. “Finding meaningful, professional employment in today’s rapidly changing, global economy can be intimidating. But we’re here to help everyone succeed. It’s our commitment to all students the moment they enroll at the university . . . and it’s our commitment to them, for life.”

UNC Career Services offers an array of traditional tools, such as career guides that include lists of potential job titles, general descriptions of career fields, job related responsibilities, and contact information for companies and organizations across the country. Students and alumni can also find helpful information about graduate and professional school preparation, including updated graduate program descriptions, financing opportunities, and advice about writing graduate admissions essays and taking standardized tests, such as the GMAT , GRE, LSAT , MAT , MCAT , Praxis Series and TOE FL.

UNC Career Services’ largest, and arguably, most highprofile program is its series of six job and internship fairs throughout the academic year—the Fall and Spring Job and Internship Fairs, Natural and Health Sciences Job and Internship Fair, Camp Day, Criminal Justice Job and Internship Fair, and the Annual Teacher Employment Days bring together well qualified teachers with school districts in Greeley and as far away as Alaska.

If you’re confused or overwhelmed at the prospect of finding the right career path, writing a résumé or preparing for an interview, Sarah Trzeciak, MS, assistant director of Career Services, says the UNC Career Resource Center is a great place to start your journey. Whether you have freshman orientation questions, need advice selecting a major or face a career change in the midstream of life, the staff at the resource center can help UNC students and alumni in many aspects of career development. They can give you sample résumés, cover letters and a wealth of interviewing tips. Or you can drop off your résumé for review by one of the UNC career peers, the lifeblood of the resource center.

“We serve about 30 students and alumni a day,” Trzeciak says. “We’re trying to get into as many classrooms their needs unique, even within the same majors or career paths.”

Trzeciak says it’s never too early for students to begin career planning. She encourages both freshmen and sophomores to stop by the UNC Career Resource Center to start a dialogue. “We want to first have a conversation with someone,” she says. “It’s important to know a person’s likes and dislikes. Interests and personal convictions drive career choice. Without them, dissatisfaction can set in.” Trzeciak cites five steps all students should attempt to follow as they go through their college years:

Step One - Get to Know Yourself

• What are my interests, values and abilities?
• What is my personality type?

Step Two - Choose a Career/Major

• How do I make decisions about my major and career?
• How can Discover help me?
• How can the HESA 173 class help me?

Step Three - The Internship Search

• Where are internship opportunities that match my career choices?
• How do I obtain an internship?
• How do I obtain academic credit for an internship?

Step Four - The Job Search

• Where are job opportunities that match my career choices?
• How do I write a résumé?
• How do I interview successfully?

Step Five - Consider Graduate School

• What are my reasons for attending graduate school?
• How will graduate school help me accomplish my long-term goals?
• What qualifications do I need for graduate school?
• How will I pay for graduate school?

Nathan Cape, a recent business administration graduate of UNC, says it’s important to take full advantage of the resources that Career Services makes available to mold you into the best candidate that you can be for a potential employer. “Practice makes perfect,” says Cape. “In order to become perfect at the job and internship process, you must develop your résumé, interview skills and professionalism through practice with the staff at Career Services.”

Cape’s own early preparation has paid off. He will be graduating a year ahead of schedule and already has a job lined up with Target Corporation as an executive team leader. “Since my first semester at UNC, I have immersed myself in the opportunities available with career development. In my first semester, I became a member of the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi and attended the Backpack to Briefcase workshop organized by Career Services. The workshop helped me improve my résumé and interview skills, and helped me land opportunities as a resident assistant at UNC and an executive intern with Target Corporation.”

As a student who just went through the entire process, Cape says he would encourage others to get involved in campus-sponsored clubs and organizations. “A good GPA will only get you so far,” he continues. “An employer wants to see what you have done beyond studying for an exam . . . to interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences, rather than a bubble sheet.”

Ashley Valvieja is a senior who works as a career peer in the Career Services office. She is currently applying to physical therapy graduate programs. “I urge everyone to take advantage of the resources,” says Valvieja. “The staff helped me present myself better. . . . They’ll help you succeed in every way.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” We’ve all heard that question since grade school. But what happens when you get to that point in life when you must suddenly answer it? Zach Scully, MEd, one of the Career Services career counselors, says alumni are actually the largest group of the UNC family he serves. As a result, he wanted to create something special to help connect alumni and employers. That’s how the UNC Career Mentor Program was born.

The new Career Mentor Program is designed to connect students, alumni and employers online. Career Mentors are alumni of UNC and/or employers who provide information to UNC students about careers, graduate studies, regional, professional and community resources, jobshadow opportunities, and personalized résumé critiques. The Career Mentor Program is intended to help students gain insight and begin their professional networks. “A great number of alumni began asking if we had a list of contacts to help them network. The mentorship program evolved because I wanted to give UNC alumni a tool to make networking more personal and direct.”

It’s a fact of life—people’s needs change as they gain more life and career experience. Whether you have changed your mind about your career direction or are still trying to determine the best career for you, there is a wealth of free resources offering information as well as inspiration to make life-changing decisions.

Although you can still open your local newspaper’s Sunday classifieds section and find a large list of professional job opportunities, the Internet gives jobseekers an instant, easily accessible way to not only look for jobs, but apply and post résumés at the same time. UNC has its own online resource in Folio 21, a secure online portfolio in which students and alumni can share their work with potential employers by posting résumés, writing samples, designs and even video clips. UNC Career Services also offers Discover, an Internet site with research-based assessments of career-relevant interests, abilities and job values, which helps individuals consider career options that are a good match for them.

Even with new and innovative online resources available to students and alumni, Trzeciak and the entire Career Services team make special efforts to encourage people to come in and meet face to face. “Our services shouldn’t be seen as a last resort,” she says. “Asking for help is not a weakness. It’s being proactive . . . it’s just being resourceful.”

But it’s not only about Career Services’ personal service, but a passion for the students and alumni it serves. That’s one reason more than 97 percent of UNC graduates are employed or attending graduate school. “I’ve been a ‘helper’ since I was born,” Trzeciak says. “If we’re not helping, we’re not doing our job.”