Week 15: Career Exploration and Development

Ready, Set, Oberlin! A week-by-week guide to prepare for your arrival

Issue #15

Career Exploration and Development

Career Center Staff

Introduction

Career Exploration and Development (CED) is Oberlin's Career Center, dedicated to helping you explore and navigate your careers. We are a passionate group of industry experts dedicated to assisting you in developing essential skills and confidence for life after college. We understand that your time here at Oberlin is crucial to your personal and professional growth; therefore, we aim to provide you with resources and tools for your success!

Career Communities

Career Communities are a framework through which students engage with Career Exploration and Development. Each Career Community is led by a Career Advisor whose mission is to help guide students along their career journey. The six career communities are:

A Career Community can help you explore different career paths and gain insight into various industries, develop career readiness skills, and provide resources to manage your career. You will have access to guest speakers, career panels, career treks, and workshops where you will learn about careers and industry trends from experienced professionals. You do not have to go 

through career preparation alone. You will have support from CED, faculty, staff, fellow students, parents, and alumni.

Handshake

Handshake provides a vast database of employment and internship opportunities. The platform allows you to upload application materials, track your progress, and enables you to request a specific appointment with a career advisor.

 

Oberlink

Oberlink is our alumni network and career resource hub. Sign up, join a Career Community, connect with alumni, and look for alumni-sourced internships and jobs.

Ashby

The Ashby Business Scholars Program

The Ashby Business Scholars program equips chosen scholars from all majors with the essential skills, knowledge, and connections needed to excel in various business disciplines. During the program, scholars embark on career treks to major cities such as Cleveland, New York, Boston, and San Francisco, where they meet alumni and other leading figures in finance and business.

Internships

Put your liberal arts skills into action in the real world! Internships are a form of experiential learning designed to give you insight into a career through direct experience in that field. Career Exploration and Development encourages all students to complete at least one internship (preferably more!) at Oberlin. These experiences will help you:

  • Identify and explore career areas of interest
  • Gain new skills
  • Build your resume
  • Develop a network of professionals in your fields of interest

Winter Term Micro-Internships are short 3-4 week experiences during January. CED works with alumni, parents, and friends of the college to curate Winter Term micro-internships just for Obies. Winter Term Micro-Internship Funding may be available for qualifying students.

Summer Internships are 8-12 week opportunities providing a more in-depth experience for students to gain skills and insight into a career path. Through the generosity of Oberlin alumni donors and friends of the college, Funding for Summer Experiences can help offset expenses associated with unpaid or low-paid internships or other pre-professional opportunities.

Internship+ provides third-year students a unique opportunity to launch into a high-quality unpaid or low-paid summer experiential learning opportunity. Students who complete the Internship+ program will receive up to $5,000 to pursue an internship, research-based experience, or other pre-professional or performance-focused experience.

Summer on the Cuyahoga is an intensive summer immersion program designed to help interns explore the Cleveland area's professional, civic, and social offerings. SOTC provides paid internships and free group housing for the summer.

SeniorLaunch

Senior Launch

Senior Launch connects soon-to-be graduates to the community of Oberlin alumni and the world through career development workshops, special events for seniors, and one-on-one guidance from coaches from various departments on Oberlin’s campus.

‌We look forward to welcoming you to campus soon! If you have any questions, please contact us at career@oberlin.edu or visit our website.