JanaLee Carter, UVU’s Employee Relations manager, explained to students how they can find career opportunities in the most unlikely of places while still utilizing their degrees.
Career Passport, a program geared toward career readiness and preparation for students, hosted Carter to educate students on the importance of building relationships with employers while attending college.
Carter’s job is to create an active relationship with employers and UVU to ensure the students here have the opportunity to find exciting careers upon graduation. With nearly 40,000 students attending, UVU has gained the attention of many big name employers like Entrata, Goldman Sachs, Intermountain Healthcare, Discovery Ranch and Imagine Learning.
Through events called information sessions, employers and their recruiters are free to answer any questions students may have about potential career opportunities. This allows students to gain exposure to the networking process.
Carter explained that though a business like Enterprise doesn’t sound like it has openings in many fields, there are opportunities within many departments that can be filled by a variety of majors.
“Students will walk past employers because they think there’s no position for them, which isn’t true,” said Carter.
Because of the growth projected over the next 50 years for Utah, Carter stressed the need for students to be diverse and open minded about the types of careers and employers they are considering.
“Take advantage of the opportunity to connect with employers while you’re at UVU,” said Carter. “If you wait until after you graduate, it becomes so much harder. This is the best time to build relationships with others that can benefit you and your career.”
There were many students in attendance, many of which were participating in the Career Passport program.
“I thought this was a very entertaining and informative event. I was surprised to hear there’s a lot of employers that have permanent jobs for technology majors, instead of outsourcing the work,” said Thomas Grooms, a freshman computer science major and Career Passport participant.
The Career Development Center houses over five career counselors who have the tools to help students find opportunities to further their skills through internships or careers.
“If you have a company you’d love to chat with, let us know and we’ll try to connect you,” said Carter.
