The Auburn experience blends independence, social interactions, academic pursuit and career readiness into a single “War Eagle“ shout. Accessing the first three components is built into daily life on the Plains, but many students don’t realize preparing for the workforce starts as soon as you can see Toomer’s oaks.
Fortunately, Auburn University offers a medley of career readiness resources that cover campus-wide advising to major-specific career training that helps students prepare.
Most students will take an academic field career-oriented class in their first or second year. Each degree program is slightly different, but these classes offer best practices from senior students, professional advice from industry participants and help students understand their field.
For example, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering requires ENGR 1100, Engineering Orientation. The Raymond J. Harbert College of Business requires BUSI 1010, Professional and Career Development and the College of Liberal Arts requires LBAR 2010, Liberal Arts Career Preparation.
The College of Science and Math works differently because of the breadth of majors offered under its umbrella. For example, there are some professional development courses, like BIOL 2100, Professional Development, for biology and life science majors, but some majors don’t build professional development directly into their curriculums.
Academic advising is the next layer of career development and fills the gaps.
Students meet with their academic advisors during Camp War Eagle to build their first semester schedules. Advisors are critical to academic success, but they are also essential team members who help determine specific educational paths to support career goals.
Some majors put a registration hold on first-semester students’ accounts, requiring them to meet with their advisors again during their first semester. As a result, students can only register for spring classes after their meeting when their advisor will lift the hold.
However, some students need specific guidance from a professional career counselor. Each college has a career office where students can schedule appointments with career coaches to tailor their professional needs.
Career coaches help students build resumes formatted to the best practices in their future industries, give guidance on which majors to pursue depending on a student’s preferences and conduct mock interviews to prepare students for the final yard line.
The career offices are also responsible for planning employer site visits that are great networking opportunities to help Auburn students stand above the rest.
Additionally, professional student organizations across campus help students narrow down their career choices and provide them with an authentic experience in their industry. For example, the Financial Management Association prepares students for a life in investment banking and the Oaks Agency prepares students for a public relations career.
The University also has a centralized Career Discovery and Success office that coordinates events across campus and posts a schedule of career-related events in each college. The Career Discovery and Success staff also manage the Auburn Career Closet, which is an appointment-only resource where students can pick up to four individual pieces of professional attire a semester for free.
A program called Handshake wraps all of Auburn’s resources together. Handshake is a platform that connects students to full-time and internship opportunities and acts as a central registration for all the university’s career-related events.
Students automatically have an account, but they must register their account to access the site’s resources. To log in, go to the Auburn Career Center website and click the “Handshake” tab under the top banner. Then, follow the instructions and start connecting.
Freshman year typically marks the beginning of a new chapter for students arriving on the Plains, but it is also an excellent opportunity to begin planning for the next one. Auburn’s career resources help make that planning more manageable.
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Ethan Flynn, sophomore in journalism and finance, is the campus editor at The Auburn Plainsman. He has been with The Plainsman since Fall, 2022.
