Success Stories: EmJ

Through the Career Center I found a multitude of opportunities that allow me to use my strengths and education in different jobs

How have you benefited from using the Career Center services?

The Career Center has helped in the transition to a new major, creating my resume, and beginning the job search. With an advisor being available for each college at TCU, I’m confident that my Career Consultant knows what is expected of College of Education graduates and will support my success there.

How did working with the Career Center impact your internship/job search?

Working with the Career Center expanded my job search to look at opportunities besides classroom teaching. While many of my classmates will be teaching in an elementary school, there are so many careers for education majors outside of the classroom.

What was the most helpful advice given to you by the Career Center?

The most helpful advice I’ve received from the Career Center was to utilize the resources around me. TCU is an incredible school and offers so much to the students here.

What challenges were you facing and how did the Career Center help you solve them or motivate you to solve them?

I came to TCU as a sports psychology major but in February of my freshman year, I switched to early childhood education on the spur of the moment. This impulsive (and out-of-character) decision was not totally random: teaching has been my dream job since age three. However, with the diagnoses of significant chronic health conditions during high school, doctors strongly suggested that I choose a different career path. While I was (and still am) passionate about sports psychology, my heart was consistently tugged back toward teaching. When I made the switch to education, I still had no clue what I was going to do in terms of my career since teaching in a traditional classroom was out of the picture. Through the Career Center, though, I found a multitude of opportunities that allow me to use my strengths and education in different jobs. Currently, I’m looking at teaching in a children’s hospital, becoming a behavior specialist, or educational diagnostician. The Career Center opened my eyes to the careers I am capable of working in and gave me hope for a strong future.

What advice would you give others facing the same challenges you did?

You don’t have to do this all alone. I’m an introvert and prefer to figure things out myself, so reaching out to the Career Center was out of my comfort zone. It has been so beneficial, though, and has alleviated a lot of stress as I look to life outside of TCU.