Most of you are attending college because you believe it will lead you to better employment. Your journey to better employment via a college degree is a journey of many choices including choice of college, choice of major, and choice of courses.
Notice that none of these choices mentions the word "career". Since careers are related to employment, simple logic suggests that if you are attending college to obtain better employment, there should be a relationship between majors and careers. While it's true that some majors, such as education, accounting or nursing, do relate to specific careers, most majors do not. In fact, the majority of majors will actually help prepare you for many career possibilities.

Majors are part of the process that leads to earning a degree. They are designed for academic purposes rather than for career purposes. This is why the link between many majors and specific career fields is often unclear.
Once you recognize this, you can begin asking questions that do have clear answers.

Begin by identifying your specific decision-making goal. Different students prefer different starting points, and different starting points will suggest different questions. Where do you wish to begin? Do you want to choose a major first and identify career possibilities later, or choose a few career options and then identify possible majors that can help you get there?

• You're already an expert decision maker, but may not be aware of it: Think of an important decision you have made recently, such as deciding on a specific college or making a significant purchase. The steps to making a major decision follow a basic decision-making/problem-solving process that you have used many times.

• It's a good investment of your time: If you want the decision-making process to yield meaningful results, you must be willing to invest some time, thought, and effort. It's like a treasure hunt. You collect clues, in this case information, then piece together the clues to form a map to guide you on your journey toward an appropriate major and meaningful career.

• Your Career Center can help you: Career advisors can help you identify both major and career options that suit your specific desires, needs, and goals and offer you the possibility of career satisfaction. One way they do this is by showing you how to use a four-step decision-making process. Call 706-737-1604 and schedule an appointment.

Step 1: Assess yourself

Your first step is to do some self-assessment. The more you understand yourself, the clearer your life goals and the way to reach them will become. Asking yourself the following questions will give you some important clues:

• What do you truly enjoy? Consider the classes and activities that you have liked the best. What did they involve? Why did you enjoy them? There are careers related to every interest you have!

• What are you good at? Identify your skills and abilities. What types of things do you seem to do well? Are they technical...adventurous...intellectual?

• What is really important to you? Is enjoying your work more important than prestige? Is creativity more important than security? You want your choice to be compatible with your values.

• What is the coolest job you can imagine? Describe it as specifically as you can. Try to locate and contact one or two people in this area and ask them how they got there.

• Visit the GRU Counseling Center and take the Myers Briggs and Self Directed Search Assessments for free. These can help you discover more about yourself and direct you to careers that are a good fit for you. Call the Counseling Center at 706-737-1471 and schedule an assessment appointment today!

Step 2: Gather information and explore options

• Examine the majors available to you in your school's catalog at www.aug.edu. Make a list of your options and eliminate those that don't interest you. Read about the majors remaining on your list. Mark the courses in each major that most interest you, match your abilities, and share your values. This should help you further shorten your list.

• Review additional information about the majors on your short list. Visit each department's web pages, or read print materials they offer. Talk with an academic advisor, students currently in these majors, and faculty members.

• Visit your career center's resource center. What is available? Does the career center offer a workshop in choosing a major? Talk with the career advisor who works with undecided majors or the career advisor for a specific major that you are considering. The more information you find, the more informed your final decision will be.

Step 3: Evaluate and make your major decision

• It's time to put together the information you have collected. Consider what you have learned. Weigh the pros and cons of each option. If you haven't already, narrow your list down to two or three majors.

• Consider the feasibility of a second major or making one of your options your minor.

• If you are still having difficulty deciding, talk with an advisor who can help you evaluate the information you have collected, suggest additional resources, and guide you through the decision-making process.

Step 4: Take action

• Sample courses in the majors you are considering.

• Choose student activities, internships, volunteer work, and/or part-time employment that can help you further develop your skills in areas that interest you.

• Talk to people who work in the career fields you are considering by conducting an informational interview. Ask them about their major and how it helped them. Consider also contacting alumni as this can be an excellent resource for learning more about the realities of specific career fields.

• Go for it! Declare your major.

Your journey to better employment via a college degree is a journey of many choices. These steps for making a major decision offer you a map for an important part of this journey.

Many factors can get in the way of your being able to make a major or career choice. Some of the most common are listed below.

External factors are not personal and are easier to manage than internal factors.

• Unrelatedness of majors and careers: Understanding that majors and careers have developed independently of each other will help you avoid becoming stuck wondering what you can do with a particular major.

• Lack of information: Often you just don't have enough information to be comfortable making a decision. You have had very little opportunity up to this point to learn about different majors and careers. Your career center is an excellent place to begin. If you're more independent-minded, begin researching on your own.

• Too much information: This is particularly true since the advent of the World Wide Web. A huge amount of information is available, and it's easy to become overwhelmed. Don't give up: You can learn how to quickly and efficiently find good, accurate information on the web, and your career center can help.

Internal factors are more personal. Sometimes, these concerns must be addressed before the decision-making process can be completed.

• Lack of self-confidence: If your choice of a major or career seems especially critical, you may not feel confident in your ability to make a good decision. Often, obtaining additional information can solve this problem. Other times, more counseling may be needed.

• Fear/anxiety: While a little anxiety is positive and can help you stay on your toes, too much can wear you down. Fearing that you will make "bad" decisions can paralyze you. A career counselor can help you separate your rational from irrational fears.

• Conflicting values: You may be considering paths that are not compatible with each other. Perhaps you want to earn a good salary but also want to work in the not-for-profit sector. Or perhaps you would love to work as a performer, but also need job security. Doing some values clarification work may help you here.

• Conflict with others: Parents, spouses, and significant others often have definite ideas about your career choice. Desiring to please others and the need for continued financial support are two ways significant others can put undue pressure on you. A career advisor may be able to help you identify ways to deal with this.

• Multipotentiality: If you have many interests and many abilities, your problem may be one of narrowing down options rather than creating them. Once again, a career advisor can help you find appropriate criteria for narrowing down your options.

Career Inventory

Career Inventory is an online resource that helps people choose the career that best suits their interests. A Career Directions Inventory or CDI report is generated immediately after the respondant completes a questionnaire. These reports recommend the career and academic paths that the respondant would enjoy most.

College Recruiter.com:

Are you tired of reading material about different occupations? Check out CollegeRecruiter.com's Career Video Podcasting service where you can download material and listen or watch occupational information from your iPod, iTunes, or your MP3 player. Each is a few minutes long, requires no software or special skills to be viewed, and provides the viewer with a great snapshot of what it is like to work in any of the featured professions.

Net Library Career Guides:

Type "Net Library Career Guides" in the search field for a list of career specific guides.

Occupational Information (Onet Online)

Making occupational information interactive and accessible for all

Personality Tutor.com

We often find ourselves dealing with situations that evoke traits of our personality that we don't yet know how to handle. These traits could include a wide range of things like fear, shyness, stage fright, anger management and lots more.The objective of Personalitytutor.com is to provide you with a venue to explore what some of these situations and traits are and to help you learn how to handle them professionally.

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples

Augusta Chamber of Commerce Business Links:

Links to Augusta's most influential businesses.


All Psychology Careers

Psychology Career Services


Atlanta Career Path.com

Specializing in finding jobs in the Atlanta, GA area.


BrainTrack

Operating since 1996, BrainTrack lists over 10,000 higher education institutions in 194 countries and is continually updated with new resources for education and careers...


Bright

Bright is a job hunting site that combines the process of applying to a job with getting a referral to that same position. Search for any position, in any state, and see who you personally know that can help you get to that big interview.


Career Athletes

Careers for Athletes. Career Services.


Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

Professional association of more than 600 colleges and universities and over 500 major national employers. COSD's mission is to improve the employment rate of college students and recent graduates with disabilities on a national basis.


Career Builder

CareerBuilder includes a number of job search features to help users browse available job openings, search job listings, search by career criteria, and research prospective employers. This site allows users to specify areas of interest, location, salary, and field. When new jobs are posted that fit with these specific requirements, the job seeker is notified via e-mail.


Career Chase

A great career exploration tool to identify career trends, job opportunities and an employer database. A special feature of this site is the informational interview - a collection of interviews with professionals from a variety of fields to gain insight into the "real-world" workplace that interests you.


Career Inventory

Career Inventory is an online resource that helps people choose the career that best suits their interests. A Career Directions Inventory or CDI report is generated immediately after the respondant completes a questionnaire. These reports recommend the career and academic paths that the respondant would enjoy most.


Careerjet

Employment search engine that offers free job search alerts by keyword search and location.


CollegeGrad.com (Videos)

CollegeGrad.com, the #1 Entry Level Job Site, is excited to announce a brand new job seeker resource--job search videos--now available for free at our site. In addition to more than 2,000 pages of free entry level job search advice, we are now launching entry level job search videos. We now have 35 custom Job Search Minute videos at our site, with more to be added in the next two months. Each video is approximately one minute in length and provides entry level job seekers with quick, practical advice on resume preparation, interview preparation, answering tough interview questions and more.


College Recruiter.com:

Are you tired of reading material about different occupations? Check out CollegeRecruiter.com's Career Video Podcasting service where you can download material and listen or watch occupational information from your iPod, iTunes, or your MP3 player.


CollegeRecruiter.com (Podcasts):

Each is a few minutes long, requires no software or special skills to be viewed, and provides the viewer with a great snapshot of what it is like to work in any of the featured professions.


Counselor Certification Help.com

Current Jobs for Graduates

Great resource for liberal arts and humanities graduates


Discover Engineering

Interactive site that includes career profiles and engineering career facts.


Employment Projections Home Page

Economic and employment projections provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.


GA College 411

Online resource to help students and their families select a college, apply for admission, and plan to finance higher education.


Graduate School Comparison Tool

Graduate School Comparison Tool



Rank and search

19,079 programs at 2,240 US universities based on your priorities.


Homefair.com

A valuable guide to assess salaries based on the cost-of-living differences among hundreds of US and international cities.


Indeed.com

An employment search engine that provides job alerts, hiring and salary trends and national and international job searches.


JibberJobber

Organize and manage your career, manage personal and professional relationships.


Job Application Center

Free online resource to apply online and offline to every major national company in America. Search a database of over 1500 articles tailored to specific companies.


Job Applications

#1 Online Job Application Form Resource Site. Find Printable Applications, Apply Online for Full-time Employment, Part-time Vacancies, Seasonal or Holiday Work Now!


Job Choices Online

Valuable articles on resumes, cover letters, interviewing and an Ask the Expert feature.


Job Hunting Advice

Helping you hunt jobs


Job Mango

Get organized. Get hired.


Job Shadow On-line

Shadow real people's jobs on-line.


Job Squared

Combines job listings with networking tools to enhance the job search process.


JuJu

Job Search Engine


Link Up

Searching job openings from 22,725 company websites


Link Up

Searching job openings from 22,725 company websites


LinkedIn

World's largest professional networking site.


My Jobs Aps.com

This is a website that enables you to download job applications, view job postings by that particular employer and so much more!


My Job Search.com

The jobseeker's supersite. They provide 10Ks of links to company Human Resources departments, recruiters, classified ads, salary surveys, and more. There is also a job search prep section that covers resumes, interviewing, networking and more.


My Visa Jobs

A group of international students started myvisajobs.com in 2006. They profile and categorize all employers who have sponsored H-1B visa, and use quantitative modeling methods to provide customized work visa solution.


Net Library Career Guides:

Type "Net Library Career Guides" in the search field for a list of career specific guides.


Occupational Outlook Handbook

Valuable information on thousands of different occupations, generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics


Occupational Information

Making occupational information interactive and accessible for all....(Onet Online)


Personality Tutor.com

We often find ourselves dealing with situations that evoke traits of our personality that we don't yet know how to handle. These traits could include a wide range of things like fear, shyness, stage fright, anger management and lots more.The objective of Personalitytutor.com is to provide you with a venue to explore what some of these situations and traits are and to help you learn how to handle them professionally.


Petersons.com

Information for researching graduate school programs and for obtaining applications. Also has links to school programs. [See also: Reese Library link to Career Guidance Foundation.]


Reference Now

Store your reference letters, with samples, transcripts, etc. on-line with ASU's partnership with Reference Now. A great way to store valuable information for employers in your job search.


Researching Companies Online

This business research tutorial presents a step-by-step process for finding free company and industry information on the World Wide Web.


Researching Companies Online - The Riley Guide

Employment opportunities and job resources on the Internet


Salary Calculator

Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been a leading resource for employment information. The NACE Salary Calculator Center is a salary survey data resource designed to save you time and money, and provide you with reliable and proven results- in minutes!


Salary.com

Salary resource data on the internet


Simplyhired.com

An employment search engine that allows you to search for jobs by keyword search and location (locally, nationally and internationally). Also indicates if employer has account on Linkedin.com.


Statestats.org

Allows a user to find salary information by job title and state/city location.


TypingTest.com

This is a good site in order to find out your typing speed.


United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

Information for international students on employment in the US


Visual CV

Internet-based resume and portfolio development system.

Resources/Websites:

• Georgia Regents University College of Allied Health Sciences
• Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
• Explore Health Careers.org
• Georgia Career Information System (GCIS):
• Georgia Career Information System (GCIS): Use username "augustasucc" and password "gcis969" to enter after you click here

Job Search:

• Indeed.com
• Simplyhired.com
• Science Careers from the Journal of Science
• New Scientist Jobs
• Jobs for PhDs
• Health Careers.com

Federal Jobs:

• Federal Careers in the Biological Sciences

Click name of the health science below to learn more about related career resources:

Clinical Laboratory Science	Physical Therapy
Dental Hygiene	Physician Assistant
Health Information Management and Informatics	Public Health
Medical Illustration	Radiation Therapy
Nuclear Medicine	Respiratory Therapy
Occupational Therapy

Clinical Laboratory Science

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Healthcare, Medical and Clinical Lab Technologists and Technicians

Job Search:

• Health Care Career Web Job Search Information on Clinical Laboratory Science
• American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) Career Center

Association:

• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Dental Hygiene

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Healthcare, Medical and Clinical Lab Technologists and Technicians

Job Search:

• American Dental Hygienist Association Education and Career Resources
• Dental Post Job Search Resource
• Dental Career Network for Job Seekers

Career Planning:

• Dental Hygienist Career Information
• American Dental Hygienist Association Education and Career Resources

Associations:

• American Dental Hygiene Association
• American Dental Association

Health Management and Informatics

Health Information Management Professional Spotlight

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Healthcare/Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Health Information Managers

Job Search:

• Bioinformatics.com
• Health Informatics Forum

Association:

• American Health Information Management Association
• Health Informatics Forum

Medical Illustration

Occupational Outlook Handbook on Arts and Design

(see medical and scientific illustrators)

Careers and Information:

• The Association of Medical Illustrators Career Page

Association:

• The Association of Medical Illustrators

Nuclear Medicine

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Career Information:

• Society of Nuclear Medicine Career Center
• Explore Health Careers: Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Glass Door.com: Nuclear Medicine Technologist Jobs

Job Search:

• Nuclear Medicine Jobs

Associations:

• American Society of Radiological Technologists (ASRT)
• Society of Nuclear Medicine

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Occupational Therapists

Job Search:

• The American Occupational Therapy Association Career Center
• EBS Healthcare
• Rehab World Job Search Database
• Advanced Medical

Career Planning:

• EBS Healthcare

Associations:

• The American Occupational Therapy Association
• The Georgia Occupational Therapy Association

Physical Therapy

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Physical Therapists

Job Search:

• American Physical Therapy Association Career Center - Therapy Jobs.com
• Physical Therapy Jobs
• Advance Health Care Jobs

Career Planning:

• Careers in Physical Therapy
• Health Care Pathway: Become a Physical Therapist

Associations:

• American Physical Therapy Association
• Physical Therapy Association of Georgia

Physician Assistants

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Physician Assistants

Job Search:

• American Academy of Physician Assistants Careers Page
• Advanced Practice Jobs.com

Career Planning:

• Career Planning Information for Physician Assistants

Associations:

• American Academy of Physician Assistants
• Georgia Association of Physician Assistants

Public Health

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Medical and Health Services Managers

Career Information:

• What is Public Health?
• Opportunities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Associations:

• American Health Information Management Association

Radiation Therapy

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Radiation Therapists

Job Search:

• Advance Web Jobs in Radiology - CompHealth Job Search
• Health Careers Network: Radiologic-Technologist and Medical Imaging Jobs

Association:

• American Society of Radiologic Technologists

Respiratory Therapy

Occupational Outlook Handbook for Respiratory Therapists

Job Search:

• Top USA Jobs.com for Respiratory Therapists
• American Association for Respiratory Care Job Bank

Career Planning:

• Career Planning Information for Respiratory Therapists
• Explore Health Careers.org: Respiratory Therapy

Associations:

• American Association Respiratory Care
• Georgia Society for Respiratory Care

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resources for Art Majors
• Resume Samples
• 45 Resumes that Capture Attention
• 10 Networking Sites for Artists
• Art Career Information
• Art Therapy Careers
• American Art Association Career Center
• Graphic Design Classes
• Current Jobs for Graduates

• Biology Resume Samples
• Georgia Regents University College of Allied Health Sciences
• Career Resources for Nuclear Industry
• Occupational Outlook Handbook for a Biological Scientist
• Biology jobs in the Federal Government
• American Institute of Biological Science - Careers
• Biotechnology

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Chemistry Resume Sample
• Career Resources for Nuclear Industry

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Communication Resume Sample
• Speech Communication Resource Center
• 40 Creative Resume Samples
• 45 Resumes that Capture Attention
• Internship Resource Links
• Journalism Job Search Link
• Media Analysis
• Publishing Jobs and Internships
• Current Jobs for Graduates

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Computer Science Resume Sample
• Sample Technical Resume
• IT Jobs Advantage
• Graphic Design Classes

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Criminal Justice Resume Sample
• Criminal Justice Career and Education Information

• Career Opportunities for People with Disabilities - Professional association of more than 600 colleges and universities and over 500 major national employers. COSD's mission is to improve the employment rate of college students and recent graduates with disabilities on a national basis.

• DiversityInc - Cultural Diversity - Diversity Management - Workplace Diversity

• What Can I Do with This Major?

Resume Samples

• Teacher Resume Sample 1
• Teacher Resume Sample 2

Association Links

• Georgia Association of Educators
• Professional Association of Georgia Educators Southern Association for Employment in Education
• Teach Georgia
• Teacher-Teachers
• Teacher Certification Degrees

Certification Information/Alternatives

• Teacher-Certification.com
• Georgia Teaching Fellows

Teaching Opportunities

• Career Services for K-12 Professionals
• Go Overseas

Workshops and Seminars

• Fall 2013 Workshops Coming Soon!

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Discover Engineering - Interactive site that includes career profiles and engineering career facts.

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Basic Sample Resume
• Prolific Writer Resume - Professional Writer Resume
• EFL Scholarship Information
• Current Jobs for Graduates

Career Search Links

• Publishing Job and Internships

• Job Search Engine Links
• Partnership for Public Service
• Where the Jobs Are
• Making the Difference
• Federal Resume Sample
• US Department of State:
  Review of different types of positions available in foreign affairs. Students work in Washington, DC, and at an embassy overseas. Positions are both paid and unpaid, and many are available during spring, summer or fall.

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Foreign Language Resume Sample
• GradSchools.com Foreign Language Grad School Listing
• EFL Scholarship Information

• Back Door Jobs: Sustainable Living and Farming Jobs
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Data on Green Jobs Initiative
• Green Jobs: Renewable Energy Recruitment service and jobs supporting the solar, wind, biomass, hydro, hydrogen and fuel cell industries.
• Green Jobs Ready: Prepare and search for Environmental Jobs, Green Careers, environmental internships and Green Collar Jobs.
• Green Jobs|Treehugger: Job Search Database for Green Jobs
• Green for All: Green For All is a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
• Green Career Guide: Job Board for Green Career Opportunities
• LeedCertification Help: Job index for green jobs by state
• Opportunity Green: Where design, technology and sustainable business converge
• Sustain Lane: People-powered sustainability and Living Guide
• Sustainable Energy Jobs: Green jobs for a sustainable future
• Sustainable Industries: Sustainable industries job board

• What Can I Do with History?
• What Can I Do with Anthropology?
• What Can I Do with Philosophy?
• Careers for Students of History
• Careers for Graduates in History
• Research, Education and Archiving Web links
• History Resume Sample
• Current Jobs for Graduates

• What Can I Do with Kinesiology?
• What Can I Do with Healthcare Sciences?
• Kinesiology Resume Sample

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples
• IT Jobs Advantage

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples
• Creative Resume Samples

• What Can I Do with This Major?

Resume Samples

• MAT Teacher Resume Sample 1
• MAT Teacher Resume Sample 2

Association Links

• Georgia Association of Educators
• Professional Association of Georgia Educators
• Southern Association for Employment in Education
• Teach Georgia
• Teacher Certification Degrees

Certification Information/Alternatives

• Teacher-Certification.com
• Georgia Teaching Fellows

Teaching Opportunities

• Career Services for K-12 Professionals
• Go Overseas

Workshops and Seminars

• Fall 2013 Workshops coming soon!

Master of Education in Counseling

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Counselor Certification Help.com
• Resume Samples
• School Counseling Resume Sample

Master of Education

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• MED/MAT resume sample
• Teacher-Teachers

Associations

• Georgia Association of Educators
• Professional Association of Georgia Educators
• Southern Association for Employment in Education
• Teach Georgia
• Teacher Education Field Experience Information
• Alternative Field Experience Listing

Certification Information/Alternatives

• Teacher-Certification.com
• Georgia Teaching Fellows

Teaching Opportunities

• Career Services for K-12 Professionals
• GoOverseas
• Teacher Certification Degrees

Workshops and Seminars

• Educator Workshops

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Sample
• Creative Resume Samples

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Counselor Certification Help.com
• Resume Sample

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Technical Resume Sample - Educator Resume Sample
• IT Jobs Advantage

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Current Jobs for Graduates
• Resume Samples

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Nursing Resume Sample
• Nursing Jobs

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples
• Careers Resources for Nuclear Industry

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Samples

Associations

• The American Political Science Association

Internships

• U.S. Department of State
• National Security Agency and Central Security Agency
• Outstanding Scholar Program

Career Information

• Administrative Careers with America (ACWA)
• The American Political Science Association
• Public Service Careers
• So You Want a Career In Political Science...
• USAJOBS - Working for America

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Careers in Psychology
• All Psychology Careers
• Resume Sample1
• Resume Sample2
• Jane Doe Psych

• What Can I Do with This Major?

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Sociology Career and Education Information

• What Can I Do with This Major?
• Resume Sample
• Assessments
• Career related articles and resources
• Career planning (assessments/explore careers)
• Career one stop (occupation info/industry info/career tools)
• Employer and career article search
• Graduate School info
• Occupation Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics
• "What Color is Your Parachute?" By: Richard Bolles

• Largest Veteran Job Board in the World
• The Wounded Warrior Project
• From Serving Your Country to Serving Your Community

• Americorps
• Idealist.org Service Companion
• Volunteer Organization List
• Volunteer Match
• Partnership for Public Service

Internships are typically one-time work or service experiences related to the student's major and/or career goal. The internship plan generally involves students working in professional settings under the supervision and monitoring of practicing professionals. Internships can be paid or unpaid, and the student may or may not receive academic credit for performing the internship.

Interning for Academic Credit

If you are looking for academic credit for internships, it is best that you check with your academic department to find out if and how you may obtain academic credit for internships. These regulations vary greatly by academic departments. Very few academic programs at Georgia Regents University require internships; however, GRU Career Services is a strong advocate for students getting the experience because we see the value of it daily in the employability of our new graduates.

Although GRU Career Services does not provide academic credit for internships, we meet with students who are seeking guidance in finding internships on their own or in conjunction with academic programs. We do offer listings of internships provided by employers that are both paid and unpaid. We also offer guidance for how to develop your own internship contacts and other resources to cultivate experience to coincide with education.

Cooperative Education offers:

• Flexible work plans

• Helps students to gain PAID, career related experience while in school

• PARALLEL CO-OP offers part-time positions in conjunction with school

• ALTERNATING CO-OP offers alternating terms of full-time work and school

• Positions typically last at least 2 semesters in length, with more than one third resulting in full-time job offers upon graduation.

• PAID internships for one semester are also available.

Eligibility Requirements for Co-Op

• A declared major with at lest 30 credit hours complete

• Enrollment in at least 12+ hours a term (9 hours for graduate students per term)

• An Overall GPA of at least a 2.5 (Cumulative or Adjusted)

• Transfer students must have at least one semester at Georgia Regents University in order to establish your GPA at the university

• Ability to commit to at least two work semesters in a Co-Op assignment while enrolled

If you meet the requirements listed above, call 706-737-1604 to schedule an appointment with your Career Advisor in the Career Services Department to explore registration for co-ops and internships posted with our office.

Volunteering for a non-profit organization is a less structured and less formal way to develop important career preparation skills and contacts. The GRU Career Services Department facilitates an annual Community Involvement Fair with the goal of connecting students with volunteer and internship employers. Review this list of Volunteer Employers to find an employer whose mission matches your degree or career interests.

If you meet the requirements listed above, call 706-737-1604 to schedule an appointment with your Career Advisor in the Career Services Department to explore registration for co-ops and internships posted with our office.

Co-Op/Research/Science Resources

Getting Involved With Research Whether you plan on continuing your education in graduate or professional school, or plan to enter the job market, performing independent research can help you get there. Getting involved in research gives you the opportunity to learn valuable laboratory skills, be responsible for your own project, and also what it means to be part of a larger picture.

Job Shadow On-line - Shadow real people's jobs on-line to explore occupations in your field of interest.

Opportunities - Volunteering is one of the best ways to gain experience in a field you are interested in pursuing. Many times, volunteer experience can be just as valuable as research experience.

Internship/Co-Op Information - An internship/co-op is any carefully monitored work or service experience in which an individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience. Internships and Co-ops are excellent ways to build your resume and gain experience in your field of study.

Web Resources-Research and Internship Opportunities: Review a list of possible internship and research opportunities. Click on the website links for internship and research postings.

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Internship Opportunities from other Web Sites

The About.com Internships Guide - is organized as a clearinghouse for any information the prospective intern might need, with original articles and links to other sources. Both basic and specialized information are available in one site, which is especially helpful for the college student who might not know how to begin the internship search process.

bigapplehead.com - has internships, entry level jobs, internship placement, New York Internships, finance, entertainment and fashion internships currently serving the New York City, Boston, and Washington DC area.

Biology Related Internships - The web site from the Rochester Institute of Technology has a tremendous number of links to summer internships across the country.

FamiliesUSA - is a national nonprofit organization, non- partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Working at the national, state, and community levels, they have earned a voice for health care consumers for over 20 years. Internships are in Washington, DC and paid.

Governor's Intern Program - This program provides the "best, brightest and most ambitious college and law students with practical professional experience before they enter the working world."

InternshipPrograms.com - Database of internships all over the US and abroad in a variety of fields.

SERVEnet This site is dedicated to matching volunteers with local nonprofit organizations. Includes polls, an interactive library, and newsgroups.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in the United States Department of Justice, is seeking qualified candidates for the summer, fall and spring semesters. Application Deadlines: Summer Semester

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - internships for students and recent graduates interested in careers in art museums. Visit www.metmuseum.org - type "internship" in the search box.

Summer STAR (Student Training And Research) program is designed to provide biomedical research experience for undergraduate students with a desire to pursue a graduate education in biomedical sciences. The is a ten week summer program on the Georgia Regents University Health Sciences Campus.

>U.S. Department of State offers an opportunity for you to get an inside look at the different types of positions and responsibilities available in foreign affairs. Some students work in Washington, DC, and others have the opportunity to work at an embassy overseas. Positions are both paid and unpaid, and many are available during spring, summer or fall.

The Washington Internship Program - This is a company based in Washington, D.C. that assists college students and college graduates with internships pertaining to various fields. The Washington Center provides full-time, quality internships in the Washington, D.C. area for college students in all major fields. All program participants are guaranteed housing space and over 80% of participants receive financial assistance. Interest areas are: government and politics, environment, mass communications, international, nonprofits and law to name a few.

• Networking is a process of building and maintaining relationships with professionals in your field of interest.

• Encourages you to develop and maintain a professional image and profile

• Helps you explore career options effectively

• Develops your employer research skills

• Refines your interviewing skills

• Provides you with industry-related professional advice

Everyone you know is in your network. From your English professor to your neighbor across the street, each person in your network knows a professional person with experience that can benefit you.

How to Get Started

One of the most basic skills you need to develop as part of networking is the impromptu introduction. Sometimes called the Elevator Pitch or the 15-second introduction, this short introduction is used for unplanned meetings with professionals at community events, in the elevator, or in GRU dining hall. Check out this CareerSpot Video on the Elevator Pitch:

While to face meetings with professional contacts is an effective way to network, on-line networking is fast becoming the first contact made between professional contacts. So make sure that the first impression professionals have of you on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Linkedin is a positive one. Watch this video the hear and see why your on-line profile can determine your impact your acceptance into graduate school or your success as a job candidate.

Augusta Chamber of Commerce Business Links:

Links to Augusta's most influential businesses.

LinkedIn

World's largest professional networking site. Promote your skills in a professional platform, network with professionals in your field of interest, connect with recruiters, and apply for jobs.

Researching Companies Online

This business research tutorial presents a step-by-step process for finding free company and industry information on the World Wide Web.

Researching Companies Online - The Riley Guide

Employment opportunities and job resources on the Internet

Visual CV

Internet-based resume and portfolio development system.

BrainTrack

Operating since 1996, BrainTrack lists over 10,000 higher education institutions in 194 countries and is continually updated with new resources for education and careers...

GA College 411

Online resource to help students and their families select a college, apply for admission, and plan to finance higher education.

Graduate School Comparison Tool

Rank and search 19,079 programs at 2,240 US universities based on your priorities.

Petersons.com

Information for researching graduate school programs and for obtaining applications. Also has links to school programs.

No solicitation of goods or services is allowed in conjunction with Georgia Regents University's Career Services Department in recruiting personnel. Recruiting practices must follow affirmative action/equal opportunity guidelines. The Career Services Department supports and endorses the NACE Guide to Principles for Professional Conduct as outlined at www.naceweb.org/principles/principl.html

Employment agencies recruiting for specific client-based vacancies are welcome to post their openings with GRU Career Services and to work with career services staff to recruit for specific hiring needs. As a state educational agency, we are not concerned with obtaining the name of the client in order to compete for services. However, we do reserve the right to confidentially request the name of the employer from the agency to ensure there is no conflict of interest with current services already being provided. This will only be requested when the office suspects our services are already being utilized by the same client.

The Career Services Department reserves the right to restrict any employer from our services on the basis of faulty recruitment practices, inability to comply with office or campus policies, failure to adhere to state and federal employment guidelines, or in an attempt to act in the best interest of student safety as determined by campus administration. The GRU Career Services Department also reserves the right to refuse employers from services if they use multi-level marketing plans as a means of developing business (Commission only programs with a "fee" to students to purchase a product and then sell the product and recruit others to do the same). All employers are subjected to comply with our nondiscrimination policy as outlined below.

The [name of employer] is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status (as defined under the Immigration Reform and Control Act), disability, or veterans status. [Note: Including protected categories that are found in specific state laws, such as marital status or sexual orientation.]

Equal employment opportunity extends to all aspects of the employment relationship including recruiting, interviewing, selection, hiring, transfers, promotions, training, terminations, working conditions, compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment.

The [name of employer] complies with federal and state equal employment opportunity laws and strives to keep the workplace free from all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment. The commitment to a harassment free environment extends to the hiring process. The [name of employer] considers harassment of all forms to be a serious offense.

Employers can register to have a table in a student traffic area during peak class times to promote current, specific employment opportunities. Reservations must be made with Career Services two weeks in advance of the designated day. The office will promote the booth location and time on their job postings website and distribute announcements to the campus.

Booths cannot be reserved for the first two weeks of class, due to high activity of on-campus programs and services. Booths are also not available in spring semester prior to the February campus job fair. This is for the sole purpose of focusing the students and our campus marketing for employer connections solely to this annual event.

A six-foot table and chair will be reserved and set up for your designated area via Career Services staff. To be fair to other employers' needs and campus agencies needing promotional space, an employer cannot recruit using the booth promotion service more than twice in one semester. While staffing a booth, employers are limited to promote their recruiting opportunities at their table only. No solicitation of products or services outside of a company's jobs available is allowed.

For positions offered that are commission only, base plus commission, or require start-up costs to the employee, there must be signage at the table clearly indicating this at all times. Sales positions must also have signage at the table that fully discloses the type of product the recruit will be selling. Failure to follow these policies will prevent the employer from future use of our services.

Employers wishing to secure an information table should review our policies and procedures for coordinating a visit.

Reserving a table through GRU Career Services to staff a booth in a student traffic area on campus is one of many ways to promote hiring opportunities with your organization to GRU students. There are certain procedures in place to protect the students on campus and their safety while pursuing their educational endeavors. Please refer to the policies below for how to make the most of your event within the guidelines of Augusta State University. Any infringement on these policies can result in restrictions on recruiting via Career Services, as well as removal of your organization via Public Safety and possible future ban from the campus.

1. A 6 foot table with two chairs can be reserved for the purpose of recruiting for specific job openings with your organization and is to be coordinated with GRU Career Services as your sponsor. Please provide at least 1-2 weeks notice of your requests to come on site to allow the office ample time to secure space and promote your needs. The earlier, the better! You can obtain a parking pass in our office the day of your event.
2. In fairness to all employers using our services and campus organizations also requesting booth space, employers cannot recruit on campus via a booth more than two times in one semester. Booths cannot be reserved for the first two weeks of class, due to high activity of on-campus programs and services. Booths are also not available in spring semester prior to the February campus job fair. This is for the sole purpose of focusing the students and our campus marketing for employer connections solely to this annual event.
3. The office will promote the booth location and time on their job postings website and distribute announcements to the campus. When your visit is sponsored by Career Services , you can only use your table for the recruiting of specific hiring needs . No solicitation for goods or services will be allowed. Those infringing on this campus policy will be removed from the campus and any future recruiting conducted by your organization on this campus is at the discretion of Career Services and the University.
4. Please do not "market" your opportunities outside of the confines of your table/recruiting area. Give-aways and displays to make your area attractive to students are always welcome. Students are encouraged to report anyone that approaches them outside of the booth area on campus to be removed by Public Safety. This includes wandering into other parts of the campus or the building you are in and addressing students without them seeking your table for information.
5. Any company recruiting on campus that has a start-up cost, commission only or base+ commission component(s) as part of the job they are targeting GRU students for is required to post a sign at their campus booth clearly detailing these facts. Sales positions also must have signage at the table that fully discloses the type of product the recruit will be selling. Your sign must be approved by GRU Career Services and posted at your table at all times. Failure to adhere to these principles jeopardizes your organization's ability to recruit here.
6. Outside organizations are not allowed to post flyers around campus for recruitment or direct sale purposes. This is monitored closely and unauthorized flyers are removed. For information on the campus posting policy, refer to the Office of Student Life and Engagement (706-737-1610).

Employers are encouraged to support the efforts of Georgia Regents University and the services of the Career Services Department by donations to the annual fund of GRU. Unrestricted gifts to the GRU Foundation provide funding for many "extra" programs that are not funded through the state, such as scholarships, technology, research and other special initiatives to enhance all services of the institution.

Restricted gifts to the Career Services Department can also be designated through the GRU Foundation. Donor Recognition services can be discussed with the Director of the Career Services if you are interested in making a monetary contribution to support Career Services programs and services. Restricted gifts of any amount can be designated for enhanced career development programming, employer development, technology and other need based initiatives to support various disciplines we support on the campus.

Sponsorships are a great way to interact with prospective applicants and establish a campus presence to foster an organization's recruitment needs. Some sponsor costs are as low as $200 and provide great branding and promotional opportunities for your organization with our services. Sample programs include advertising in our annual CAREER GUIDE publication for students, sponsoring our student etiquette dinner, becoming an employer sponsor on our website with your logo/link, branding and sponsorship on some of our career software that students use and others. If you wish to financially sponsor a special program or service related to Career Services initiatives, please contact the Director to discuss ideas for a future semester event that may be of benefit to your organization.

The Career Services Department can facilitate assisting your organization with a variety of resources tied to recruiting and employment. Feel free to contact the Director to request assistance on a variety of topics including:

• Data on competitive entry-level salaries for the area based on major or skill set needs
• Contacts/resources for the campus and area to facilitate any training or recruitment needs
• Contacts/resources of career services programs in the state or US to facilitate discipline specific college recruitment needs
• Assessment of how to maximize our services based on your recruitment needs
• Arrangement of company site visits, etc.

Want to informally meet all of the Career Services staff and introduce them to your company culture, hiring needs and recruitment process so they can better facilitate your needs with students/alumni? Employers can request to host a breakfast meeting (usually 30 minutes to an hour) where all of our staff members (6-8) join together to participate in an employer session as part of our traditional staff meeting time.