College helps you do two things, obtain a degree in a field of your choice and prepare you to be in the workforce. I feel Mason does a great job at preparing students for life outside of college. There are a number of different resources on campus that help students look for jobs, clean up their resume, and feel that they are prepared for interviews.
One of the best offices we have on campus is the Career Services office. The career services office offers resume clinics, helps you make plans for Grad school, and constantly updates students with new jobs or internships that have been posted. It can be confusing coming to college and picking a major and figuring out what you would like to do within that major. Offices like career services helps make things like that a little easier for students. The office allows students to come in and explore different majors and career options to help them potentially figure out what path they would like to take. Another helpful tool that Mason offers is HireMason. HireMason has helped me find 3 out of the 4 on-campus jobs I have had. HireMason is a site that has a countless number of jobs and internships that students and alumni of Mason can apply for. The job and internship is made easy by the simplicity of the website and features like “Quick Apply” that allows the user to simply attach their resume and a cover letter and press send! HireMason also requires students to submit their resume for approval before they can use it to apply to jobs to ensure that every student’s resume is competitive and shows off their best qualities. HireMason features jobs and internships that are anywhere from local to international. It is a great tool for students to use when deciding what they should do after they graduate or when they need a little extra money while still in school. I also had the chance to take a “College to Career” course online through the Career Service office. This course has helped me enhance my resume, interview skills, and more. It has introduced me to different features on websites such as LinkedIn and introduced me to the various resources that Mason offers it’s students.
I personally feel as though the experiences and opportunities I have had on campus have prepared me to be in the workforce. My first job on campus was as an Athletic Ticket Sales Representative with the Mason Athletic Ticket Office. I love that job because it worked well with the life of a student. For most on-campus jobs, the hours are flexible and everyone understands that we are students first. From that job I feel that I have gained valuable customer service skills. It is important to know how to talk to others and think on your toes as you head out into the workforce after college and I feel like working with the Mason Athletic Ticket Office has really helped me hone my communication skills as well as my relationship building skills.
After the MLK Day of Service at Godwin Middle School
Working in the LEAD Office has been one of the best things that has happened to me so far (and I am not exaggerating). Working in the LEAD Office is not about the money and it is not about resume boosting. Working as a Leadership Consultant has truly opened so many doors for me and taught me so many things about myself that I would not have ever learned anywhere else. With this job comes great relationships, opportunities to learn, chances to take the reigns on projects, and it gives the opportunity to work with others to achieve a goal. I have been able to partake in conversations that impact so many people on and off campus. I have been able to watch things build from the ground up and be exponentially successful and feel the joy of knowing I was a part of helping that develop. I have been able to personally meet university administrators at George Mason and am seen as a student leader by them because I work in the LEAD Office.
An unforeseen benefit of working in the LEAD office was that I got to figure out that I want to go into School Counseling after I finish school. Through working with the students at Godwin Middle School and learning more about how primary schools work, I was able to realize that that was the path I wanted to take in life. I want to continue to help students learn and grow and help to ensure that they are doing so in a healthy environment. I would not have been able to see this personally if I did not work in the LEAD Office and I thank everyone in the office for helping me find what I want to do in life.