Getting On The Right Career Path
“What are you going to do after you graduate?”
That’s the question that every student hears at one time or another. But some students in their final semester of their undergraduate studies wonder what the next step is after graduation.
That’s where Career Services at Sam Houston State University can help.
Career Services began in 1915 as the “Teachers Positions Committee.” It went through several names before it received its current name in 1996.
Their mission is to provide students with advice that will prepare them for the transition from student to professional.
There is a variety of services the center provides. One example includes counseling to help freshman decide their major. Sophomores receive assistance in finding part-time jobs that’s available on campus. Juniors receive assistance in writing resumes, mock interviews and finding internships that would give them relevant work experience. Seniors have the opportunity to put their resumes out on Jobs for Kats where companies can view a potential job candidate and attend Career Services-sponsored events like the Junior/Senior Etiquette Dinner. Services are available for alumni after they graduate.
“Students come to us with their unique concerns,” Pam Laughlin, director of Career Services said. “For the student that have an interview with a prospective employer, they can do a mock interview with us. For the students that need to improve their resumes, they can go to a counselor to get their resume critique.”
Career Services is one of the best resource that are available on campus. They’re dedicated professionals that will go out of their way to make sure that students are well prepared for their future careers.
For more information on Career Services, visit their website at:
You can get the timeline at the SHSU Archives on the fourth floor in the Newton Grisham Library and the contact person is Barbara Mason. Her e-mail address is: lib_bak@shsu.edu.
Do what you love and the money will follow
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. –Confucius
By Cheval John
When a person enters college, their goals and aspirations are to graduate with their degree and get that job with the high salary. But what if those individuals get that job and realize later that it does not fulfill them?
Carol Shaw (on the left) assistant to the Dean of the College of Business Administration (COBA) at Sam Houston State University, believes that when a person finds the job that they love, it will be their masterpiece.
Shaw graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics (now Family and Consumer Sciences) from Sam Houston State University in 1974. Her first job was as a secretary at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the Ferguson Unit. In 1978, though she loved her job, fate intervened.
“I went for an interview at the accounting department in the College of Business”, said Shaw. “The chair at that time was Rita B. Huff and she was in need of a secretary because school was about to start in a week”.
She got the job and has been with the college ever since. In her current position, she organizes the COBA Career Fair and recently, in partnership with the Career Services, conducts mock interviews with area companies to prepare students for job interviews.
The advice that she shares with those that are in college:
- Work on your communication skills
- Always network
- Take advantage of the opportunities that are given to you
And for those that are graduating:
Start at the bottom, then work your way to the top and in the end it will be worth it.
Welcome to Chinatown
In this present economy, a person has to save as much money as possible. They can’t do what they used to before, like go to the movies.
Well, there is an alternative to that and it’s called “A Night in Chinatown,” held every Tuesday and Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. in the Olson Auditorium in Academic Building IV. It began on February 15, 2011 and will end on March 24, 2011.
It is run by the 16 students of Zhejiang Police College, near Shanghai, China, who are studying here at the College of Criminal Justice for the 2010-2011 academic year.
The idea for the movie night came from Qiuming Yui, visiting scholar and advisor to the students. The planning process began in May 2010 while they were preparing to study here. Each student had chosen 16 movies that they liked and then from there, they narrowed it down to 10.
“We want to choose typical movies in China, like documentar(ies) and love stor(ies), but not only kung fu movie,” said Yingyu Le, one of the organizers of the festival. “And since we are criminal justice majors, we even have a movie about the social problems in China. We hope that these 10 movies can show a part of our culture.”
The students from China did a tremendous job of putting this event together, and it is one of the best events that has been done at this university.
For more information about “A Night In Chinatown”, you can contact Shu Cang at (936) 661-6254 or at sxc025@shsu.edu.
Here are a list of the movies that will be shown at “A Night In Chinatown”:
March 3: Beijing Bicycle
March 8: Shower
March 10: Eat, Drink, Man, Woman
March 22: The Equation of Love and Death
March 24: Dream Weaver: Beijing 2008
The Africa You Never Knew
Dr. Samake
When a person hears of Africa, they often perceive poverty, diseases and death. But what many people do not know is that Africa is rising as a prominent player in the world.
Last week, Macki Samake, Ph.D., professor of linguistics at the University of Bamako in Mali, gave a keynote adress about the independence of Mali and how it is progressing towards becoming an emerging power in the world. The presentation was part of a week of seminars in the history department at Sam Houston State University.
He explained how important kings died during the struggle for independence. He also said that women played an important role in the struggle, even though they did not fight in the struggle. But instead, the women’s role was to provide moral support and to cook meals and to replenish the men that fought in the struggle.
“Democracy is important in order to succeed,” Samake said. “Mali has taken that road and will be a great nation.”
The keynote address was presented in room CO90 in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building to an audience of faculty and students.
The presentation was impressive because people learned about a country that is a model for the rest of Africa. Samake showed that with persistence and patience, Mali will be a great nation.
An Investment That Pays Dividends
By Cheval John
In the current financial crisis, business schools are looking for ways to revamp their curriculum and to make it better, so when the students graduate, they will be even more marketable.
The same can be said about the College of Business Administration at Sam Houston State University under its current dean, Mitchell Muehsam Ph.D.
Muehsam received his Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M University. While he was a graduate student, he was a partner of Tourism and More, a touring consultancy firm in College Station.
He started teaching at Sam Houston in 1989 in the College of Business Administration and was promoted to Dean of the Graduate Programs in the College in 1995. Then, he became the Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs in 2003. Finally, he became the Dean of the College of Business Administration in 2009.
He believes that the reason why they are so successful is because the faculty and staff are dedicated to their work and that they are committed to seeing their students succeed. An example of this would be when they do a thorough review of the curriculum every five to 10 years to make sure that the curriculum is top quality and that the students are prepared for the business world.
“People who are not afraid to make mistakes will be successful,” Muehsam said. “It shows that they are willing to try something new, and it gives them the courage to face the fear of failure and to achieve their goals.”
He credits the late James Gilmore, Ph.D., David Payne, Ph.D. and Dean Lewis, Ph.D. for mentoring him during his time here. “They did their jobs with integrity and passion,” he said.
He has the following advice for undergraduate or graduate students:
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