Guided Explorations

In this assignment, students read short narratives by professionals who reflect on their career trajectory given their academic choices and experiences in college. Texts might also include critically-minded journalism about the job market, data visualizations, or short narratives about the experience of working in a field or profession. The purpose of this assignment is to prod students to think about connections between their major coursework and possible professional paths, from internships and fellowships to post-baccalaureate career and academic opportunities. Prompts for this assignment might include:

  • Why are you in your major and what are you learning to do? 
  • How can you use what you learned in different professions.  Use case studies or other examples? Maybe find another example that aligns to your own interests?
  • What did you like best so far about what you’ve learned?
  • Where can you find an example of what you value from college in the workplace?
  • CLL: what industries are students entering? 
  • What kinds of academic/background knowledge/theories/concepts do professionals in these examples use?
  • What is their worklife like?
  • What kind of preparation was involved for this profession?

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