where college students gain knowledge on how to be real adults.-Kyra Visser
Every spring, the compass center tries to put on a series of sessions to teach college students skills for life after college. While most topics vary from year to year, a small few stay the same.
This year, the topics are centered around the main idea of how to approach the job search. This includes things such as how to land an internship (freshman/sophomores/juniors), how to land a job (seniors), and what networking is and how it works.
There are three main events this Spring. The first event was on January 23. Students who attended listened for the first 20 minutes to a speaker who offered tips and practical information and then spent the rest of the time with a student and alumni panel. The panel gave specific examples of how they landed their job and the importance of networking with people, such as meeting someone at the gym who eventually became the connection to a dream job.
Senior Jessica McCubbin said she appreciated learning about resumes and how to reach out for networking. She also said that finding out that informational interviews are a thing and how to use them to find out more about a company beforehand was very helpful.
The next Adulting 101 event is coming soon on February 6. This event is a fashion show of sorts where six NWC students were given $100 to put together a professional outfit, which they will show off at this event! Students who attend will also be able to hear from faculty and staff including Kara Smit, Professor Heidi Vasher, Coach Kris Korver and son Christian Korver, and Dr. Ross Bouma.
The final event of the series will be held on February 19 and will cover the topic of understanding salary and benefits. This session will include how to ask good questions, what to look for, and how to advocate for yourself in a work environment. The Compass Center will be bringing in two HR professionals as content experts to help further students’ knowledge even more. but they would be able to watch a recording of the first one to make up for it.
Why is this important? Why attend Adulting 101? Dr. Elizabeth Pitts in the Compass Center discussed how easy it is for students to get busy with current classes and simply worrying about the now. This can look like worrying about a current job or work study, extracurriculars or simply hanging out with friends. However, it is important to be thinking a few steps ahead, and their goal with these events is to shine a light on that.
