Is UVU a place for career growth?

Utah Valley University is an institution that has a diverse student body who come from a range of locations, cultures and backgrounds. But regardless of those circumstances, students come to UVU for one common reason: education in their chosen field. UVU hosts a range of programs, from auto mechanics to child education to aviation, and it’s important for students to get the best results from these programs. Is UVU doing the best it can to provide said results, and does anything need to change?

What do students worry about?

College demands a lot out of students who attend. While Utah Valley University has recently been ranked the #6 Best Value College in the Western U.S. by Research.com¹, semester tuition still costs on average thousands of dollars and continues to grow annually. Full-time students, or students taking at least 12 credits a semester, are expected to spend roughly 40 hours a week going to classes, doing homework and studying for exams. Additional factors in a student’s life, such as working multiple jobs, taking out student loans, or providing for a family, can create anxiety that they won’t be able to perform their best. For the amount of input those who attend UVU give, many fear that they won’t receive the same or greater amount of output.

Among other factors, many students not just at Utah Valley University but around the United States are fearful of an insecure job market. In many workplaces, automation is becoming the norm, and AI is implemented in areas that save companies time and money. Jerome Powell from the Federal Reserve has stated that it was observed that “job gains have slowed” and that there is a “marked slowing in both the supply of and demand for workers”². Students want to find stability in their career fields, and are searching for unique opportunities to get the work they want. They want to do more than just provide bread on the table; they want to make a lasting change in society.

Gathering Student Insights

To get more information on how UVU is actively working to both help prepare students and to ease their worries, a survey was distributed around campus to get perspectives on individual UVU students on how they feel, and several student responses were recorded. Here are some of the questions that were asked:

Are you confident you’ll find a job in your major after graduation? It’s important that UVU ensures the confidence of their student body is stronger than the doubts. The students who responded were mixed in their feelings of finding a job, with about 33% of students surveyed having no doubts, about 33% saying they have some doubts, and 22% having significant doubts. The remaining percentage of students said they had already landed a job in their major.

Are you currently employed in your field or have been in the past? Many UVU students are actively looking for employment in their field even while they’re pursuing their undergraduate degrees and studies. In the current day and age, depending on the major, some students may have a more difficult time than others landing a job or internship in their career of study. The vast majority of students surveyed had not yet landed a job in their field, showing many students from different backgrounds are currently working in jobs outside their major.

Does the UVU coursework prepare you for your future career? Each student has a different way in which they prefer to learn things which will be applicable to their work later on, and the assignments they are given should provide practical experience. Many students who were surveyed feel the coursework at UVU will be useful for their work outside college, but many other students acknowledge that their assigned classwork does not feel very applicable.

Are your peers supportive of your education? Nobody wants to feel alone in their college journey. Having people who leave a positive impact are crucial for a student’s health and success. Many students have peers that they can rely on for support while they work on their education here at UVU. While times can get stressful and difficult, it’s comforting to know many students have others who actively encourage them to succeed.

Lastly, each of these students were asked how far along they were in their academic pursuits at UVU, their major, and if they had used any career resources that UVU has provided. We received answers from many different majors offered at UVU, with most students in the latter part of their education. Confidence in finding success in their career appears to vary depending on the student’s major. Everyone we surveyed admitted they had not used the Career Center at UVU to get advice or skill boosting to make it in the workplace. This could be because the surveyed students were unaware of the Career Center or assumed that the Center would be unable to help them.

Student considering Quinncia, an online resume reviewer | Photo by Jacob Bunker

Where can students go to get help?

Perhaps the most difficult part in helping a UVU student land the career they’re seeking is to know which resources they can use to get help. Here are a few resources that may be of use:

The Career Center. They range in services from mock job interviews to hosting networking events. You can find their office located in the Losee Center or you can visit their website to learn more at https://www.uvu.edu/career-internship/³.

Handshake. Handshake is UVU’s website designed specifically for employers to make job postings aimed for UVU students in particular, and for students to search through the different opportunities to find a job that suits their passion⁴.

Faculty and Peers. Students at Utah Valley University can be assured that all faculty, whether it be professor, administrator or counselor, want you to succeed. They can point you in the right direction to find what you’re searching for.

What does this mean?

As mentioned earlier, UVU is full of a student body that share different stories in their upbringings and their interests. Naturally, this means student answers also vary depending on the student. Some feel very positive about what they have gotten out of their education, while others may lack the support they need. Students have many factors outside of college that influence their situation.

So, what’s the solution to solving these issues? Maybe the answer is that there is no singular solution. Depending on the needs of the individual, the way in which they navigate their time at UVU and the ways in which UVU can assist them through these crucial moments are both important aspects to ensuring career growth. By being a place of career growth, UVU can, synonymously, really be a place for you.