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Graduate Assistant at Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University – Career and Student Employment

I assist students with resume and cover letter critiques, practice interviewing, and career exploration. I collaborate with full-time staff in planning and supervising events such as career fairs on campus, and provide support to student staff when needed. 

What is the most rewarding and the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part of my job is knowing the balance between challenge and support. Students come to us from all levels of experience and confidence, and it can be difficult to walk the line between giving them advice and building them up. Sometimes they ask for help with their resumes but really they need to be told that they are skilled and valuable to employers, no matter what their resume says. The best part of my position is seeing a student walk out of the Career Zone more confident than when they came in or watching them find their fit with an employer at a career fair. It's so much more than assisting them in their job search. It's helping them get to a place where they know they can achieve their goals in life. 

What experiences impacted the choice of your career path?

The services provided to students for free on this campus are so important. I realized in my job as a peer coach that I loved working with students, and when I studied abroad it changed my life. Now I'm working toward my Higher Education and Student Affairs degree so that I can become a Study Abroad Advisor and connect students to a life-changing experience as I had. 

What advice would you offer students to help them decide on a career path?

I spent about ten years of my life in a state of panic about what I would do as a career. I wish I could go back and tell myself that there isn't one answer to that question for most people. Don't stress out about finding 'your path'. There are many, and you don't have to choose just one. 

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