Tomorrow is National Career Development
Day and as part of the National Career Development Week, the Career
Services Department at Sam Houston State University is allowing
students to ‘walk-in’ and speak with career counselors between the
hours of 9-12 and 1:30-4 p.m for mini-sessions of 15-20 minutes to
discuss the services they offer.

Today, we spotlight Samantha McKinley,
a freshmen who is majoring in general business. Like many others, she
did not know what she wanted to study. So she decided to go to the
Career Services to find out what major would help her to succeed in
school and to discover her career dreams.

We caught up with Samantha to find out
what Career Services has to offer.

What’s the Word: How did you come to
the decision to major in general business?

Samantha McKinley: I started out with
music and then with education. Then I decided on business because I
felt that I have a lot of options. Because I am starting out with
general business, I can get into the higher classes and can decide
specifically on what I want to do with business.

WTW: How has Career Services helped
you?

SM: Career Services have been such a
great help. I made my first appointment really early in the semester
and did their online test to assess my skills and strengths. Then I
went in and met with Ms. Carranza and she reviewed my results with me
and gave me a lot of information about different majors that I may be
good at or things I could do with the majors that I might enjoy.
After the meeting, I received that information and met with her again
to discuss more specific fields that I might be interested in and
gave me some suggestions on what I can do to learn more about this
field.

WTW: What would you say to students who
are in your position who don’t know what they want to major in?

SM: Meet with the Career Services as
fast as you can if you don’t know what your going to do. Even if you
go in there and you say “I have absolutely no idea of what I want
to do with my life,” they can at least give you a starting
direction. Based on that point, you can research for yourself of what
you might want to do. From there, you can discuss specific careers
that you might want to learn about and they can give you different
tips on where you can go and what to look for when you’re researching
careers.

As part of the National Career Development Week, the Career Services Department at Sam Houston State University is hosting a week of activities in order to promote the importance of lifelong career development and the personal empowerment of all people.  Various activities will be held throughout the week of November 14^th -18^th .

The theme for this week is, “The Five P’s to Pursuing Your Career Dreams.” The activities are geared to help encourage students to explore their interests and various majors that may be related to a career that they are dreaming about pursuing in the future.

Monday will kick off the week with “Finding your Purpose.”  Career counselors will have a table outside in the LSC yard from 11a.m.-2 p.m. Students can stop by the table to find out about the requirements for the 46^th Annual Poster and Poetry Contest. They can also pick up a short activity on the 10 types of meaning to help clarify purpose and priorities.

Tuesday is “Following your Passion.” Students can stop by the ABIV lobby from 8-10 to learn more about The Five P’s. Counselors will be handing out free hot chocolate and will be available to answer any questions students may have related to career decision making and following your Passion!

Wednesday is “Exploring Possibilities/Walk-In Day.” Career counselors are usually available by appointment only, but Wednesday is the exception!  Students can Walk-In or “Pop In” for some popcorn and speak with a career counselor about their career dreams.  Counselors will be available between the hours of 9-12 and 1:30-4p.m. for mini sessions of 15-20 minutes.

Thursday is “Identify/Research Career Paths.” The career counselors and the graduate assistants will have a table in the lobby area at Old Main Market from 11-2p.m. that will provide various resources about different majors, Career Paths of Distinct Professionals, and strategies on how to reach Career Goals. Students can stop by to ask any questions they may have and learn about the career decision making process.

Friday is “Develop a Plan.” Students can call in to schedule an appointment to meet with career counselors or career services specialists to discuss next steps toward fulfilling their Career Dreams.

For students who are interested in participating in the 46^th Annual Poster & Poetry Contest, please remember to submit your entries by December 1^st to the Career Services office. Entry forms can be picked up at the office and/or at any of the events throughout the week.

A person who is entering college for
the first time will hear the question: “What are you going to major
in?”

For some, they know the answer
while the majority don’t have an idea of what they
want to do.

The Students Success Initiative Offices
and the Career Services presents the second annual “Exploring
Majors Fair” that will be held on November 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Lowman Stduent Center (LSC) Ballroom on the campus of Sam Houston State University.

The fair started last year and is designed as a way to help these
students to discover their interest. From there, they would choose a
major that will allow them to develop their knowledge and skills in order to apply it to their future careers.

by Cheval John

To say that the weekend was busy for songwriter Allen Shamblin is an understatement. The 1982 graduate of Sam Houston State University was recently recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus along with four others including former SHSU president, James Gaertner at the Distinguished Alumni Gala last Friday and will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame along with Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson tonight at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. 

We caught with Mr. Shamblin to get his reaction on being selected as a Distinguished Alumnus and on getting inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

What’s the Word: Congratulations on being selected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. What does it feel like?

Allen Shamblin: To be honest, I haven’t quite processed it yet. The feeling is quite overwhelming  and it’s more than what I can actually take in right now, so it will be a few years down the road before I can tell you what it was like because I’m still in a state of shock over it all.

WTW: How has Sam Houston prepared you for what you are doing right now?

AS: Well, I think it prepared me in a lot of ways. When I was here, I was a marketing major. In taking business classes, it helped me to understand the business side of life a little better. In the music industry, it is easy to get tripped up in finances and if you are in the industry for over a period of years, you will need to have your business taken care of. So I feel that I was prepared here at Sam to take care of the business side of the arts. That is why they call it the music business.

WTW: Can you take us to the time when you got discovered?

AS: At the time, I was a real estate appraiser in Austin. After coming home from work everyday, I would write songs. I was at Wyatts Cafeteria one day with the lyrics of the song that I had written the night before when Linda Orsak, the sister-in-law of legendary fiddle player Johnny Gimble, was standing in line next to me when I was reading it to my co-worker. I was able to play my song for her and she took me over to Mr. Gimble’s house and we played it. Afterwards, she sent the cassette to her best friend, Martha Sharp, who was the executive vice president at Warner Brothers Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Just meeting Linda in the cafeteria that day literally changed my life. It was a big deal.

WTW: You are also about to be inducted as a Distinguished Alumnus at the Distinguished Alumni Gala on Friday. How much does it mean to you?

AS: It means a whole lot. First of all, I am extremely proud to be an alumnus of Sam Houston State University. I love the school, the campus and the people. After all of these years, to be honored with this award and to be brought back, is very, very special to me. I was not a distinguished student when I was here, but it all worked out and I am thankful that they brought me back.

WTW: Tell us about the time when you wrote the song “He Walked On Water” that Randy Travis recorded? What was it like hearing it?

AS: It was incredible to hear it. I wrote the song at one of my lowest points. I had moved to Nashville and was struggling really hard and the song was a gift. It came in a special way at a special time. It is a personal song to me because it is based on my great-grandfather and for Randy Travis to record it and then to hear it on the radio, it was like a dream.

WTW: You co-wrote the song “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt with Mike Reid. Can you describe that moment?

AS: That was an incredible experience. Mike and I worked on that song off-and-on for a few months and when we finished it, it was an incredible feeling. He leaned over the keyboard that he was playing on and said, ‘Don’t you ever forget this feeling in the room right now. Money and awards will not equal to what we are feeling at this very moment.’ It was great to be a part of that. It was a huge gift and a blessing to have Bonnie Raitt sing that song. She did an incredible job and made the song her own.

WTW: The hit single “The House That Build Me” that was recorded by Miranda Lambert, what was the process in writing the song and afterwards, listening to it?

AS: That song actually started eight years ago when my co-writer Tom Douglas was in Utah. We wrote the song and people were not connecting with it. So we put it away for about five years. Later, he called me and said, ‘Let’s revisit this song.’ So we returned to it and after all those years, the flaws and the holes in the song was real obvious. It took us about a hour and a half to fix it. We took some things out of it, change a line or two and felt that we had made it a lot better. It went on hold, which means that the producer will ask you not to play it for anyone else. It was on hold for Blake Shelton, the husband of Miranda Lambert. While he was picking her at the airport, he had the song with him and played it. When she heard it, she asked if she could record it. We were thrilled about that and it turned out well.

WTW: On George Strait’s new album “Here For A Good Time” you co-wrote a song title ‘Poison.’ Can you tell us what it is about?

AS: ‘Poison’ is about falling in love with things that can hurt us really bad or even kill us. I felt that it was a subject that needed to be explored and to find out why we love things that would hurt us. I wanted to shed some light on the subject.

WTW: What advice would you give to current students here or to anyone in general who have a passion for something, but don’t pursue it?

AS: I would say, whatever your deepest passion is, pursue it with all of your heart . Pray about it and give it a shot. For several years after college, I chased money and I was miserable. When I began to chase my dream, money didn’t matter that much, even though I needed it. I am more happy because I am doing something that I love. We get one chance at this life and it is very short. You do not want to go through life and say, ‘You wish you would have done it.’ Win, lose or draw, step up to the plate and swing for the fence.