College students looking to get a jump on job experience can start by participating
in professional and special interest campus organizations.
ãExperience! Experience! Experience! Thatâs what employers
are looking for on a resume,ä said Melissa Tucker, a career counselor
for the University of Alabamaâs Career Center. ãGetting involved
in organizations is vital. Itâs important to build a good foundation
and it makes your life a lot easier. Anybody who gets an early start has
an advantage over someone who just goes to class.ä
UA offers a wide variety of programs and organizations that give students
a chance to explore a chosen field. For every major, there is an organization
that offers exposure to that specified field.
ãSo far, we have a total of 33 professional organizations registered
at the university,ä said Sean McBroom, vice president of the Coordinating
Council for Student Organizations. ãBut more come in every day to
get in the 1997-98 directory line-up.ä
ãAt the university, there are more professional organizations than
any other type of organization,ä said CCSO president Clay Shannon.
ãThey usually have more people sign-up and participate than the
other organizations, except maybe the athletic ones.ä
Alabamaâs College of Communication majors can get an early start
in their fields through organizations such as the Society of Professional
Journalists, The Crimson White and the Capstone Association of Black Journalists.
Matthew Bunker, University of Alabama professor and former sponsor of SPJ,
said college organizations help to prepare students for their careers as
well as introduce them to what the real-world experience is like.
ãI know people who didnât take advantage of the opportunities
that organizations offered,ä Bunker said, ãand they were disappointed
once they reached the real world and saw how things really were.ä
Aside from the benefits of experience and exposure to a field, organizations
like SPJ also introduce students to professional contacts.
Another organization at the University of Alabama that helps students get
a jump into their career field is The Crimson White, the UA campus newspaper.
The Crimson White offers students of any college an opportunity to participate
in all facets of newspaper production.
Dana Bierley, a junior with a double-major in journalism and English, said
writing for The Crimson White has given her more than just clips for her
portfolio.
ãBeing a senior staff writer for The Crimson White has definitely
been a sobering experience,ä Bierley said. ãItâs given
me all kinds of experience in researching stories and in communicating
with people. Iâve learned to take constructive criticism and use
it to my advantage.ä
Kerry Whipple, a 1997 graduate of the University of Alabamaâs College
of Communication, said her involvement with The Crimson White helped to
prepare her for a journalism career.
Whipple, former managing editor of The Crimson White, is now a staff writer
for The Alexander City Outlook. She said that the experience she gained
while at The Crimson White helped her get the job.
ãWorking at The Crimson White really does train you to deal with
news management and daily deadlines,ä Whipple said. ãAnd you
learn to work with the computer programs that The CW uses.ä
ãI knew the computer programs well and that was part of the reason
that I was hired at the Outlook,ä Whipple said.
Whipple said participating in organizations like the SPJ and The Crimson
White gives students an advantage when it comes time to find an internship
or a job.
ãI never did an internship,ä Whipple said, ãbut because
I was so active in campus organizations and had plenty of clips, prospective
employers knew I had experience.ä
The Capstone Association of Black Journalists is a professional organization
that enables minority students to learn about careers in the communication
fields.
ãCABJ offers hands on experience,ä CABJ President Jannell McGrew
said. ãExperience that recruiters are looking for.ä
McGrew, a senior at the University of Alabama and assistant editor of the
Capstone Engineering Magazine, said her involvement with the CABJ and other
campus organizations gave her the skills she needed to secure internships
at The Birmingham News and at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
ãOne of the main things about being in professional organizations
is that you meet professionals,ä McGrew said. ãMeeting them
and developing a relationship with them may payoff down the road. Itâs
not just who you know, but who knows you.ä
Campus organizations are an ideal place to meet with other people in the
same field, said Laura Klein, the president of Fashion Incorporated.
ãOur organization helps members to begin networking and gets them
searching for future jobs,ä she said.
Fashion Incorporated is a 51-member professional organization covering
the retail field. Klein said the organization hosts activities such as
having local and national retailers speak regularly to members as well
as Retail Day.
ãFashion Inc. helps retail students meet professional contacts,ä
said Klein, a junior in fashion retail. ãIt gets your name out there,
into the business market and at the same time it sharpens your interviewing
skills.ä
Armandi Espinol, president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
said professional organizations give students a taste of what their field
is about before graduation.
ãProfessional organizations, besides being good social opportunities,
also give members a feel for whatâs out there for them and their
field,ä Espinol said. ãAnd being in a leadership position,
Iâm getting a lot of people skills.ä
AICE is a professional organization with the purpose of informing chemical
engineering majors of the career opportunities available following graduation.
AICE members have the chance to hear guest speakers in the chemical engineering
field talk about their work. Members also take trips to different companies,
many of which hire UA students after they graduate, Espinol said.
ãAICE gives members exposure to opportunities that other chemical
engineering students donât have,ä Espinol said. ãI think
itâs very important that all students get an early focus on their
careers.ä
Students interested in political science or government can get an early
start by being involved in organizations such as the Student Government
Association.
Lee Garrison, a senior at the University of Alabama, said participation
in political organizations helped him get where he is today: Tuscaloosa's
district four city councilman. Prior to the election, Garrison was on the
financial affairs committee of the SGA and was president of the Interfraternity
Council. Garrison was also involved in the Council of Presidents and the
Student Life Committee.
ãMy involvement with campus organizations has attributed to my success
in several different ways,ä Garrison said. ãIt has taught me
to set goals and accomplish them. Iâve learned how to manage people
and made many, many contacts.ä
In todayâs world where the job market is becoming more and more competitive,
and job opportunities are fewer and fewer, experts say any head start on
the competition is priceless. This is why participation in campus organizations
that offer experience and exposure is essential for college students.
ãItâs so competitive now,ä Garrison said. ãYouâve
got to have experience. Grades are a strong asset to have, but employers
are looking for folks with some variety that are well rounded.ä