Appalachian State offers more than 150 undergraduate degrees and each year thousands of students graduate, seeking jobs or graduate programs across disciplines.
After having your head stuck in your books for four years, looking up to consider all the options for after college can be overwhelming. Luckily there are resources for students on- and off-campus for career prep, whether you’re looking for internships in your field or applying for your dream job.
Career Development Center
The Career Development Center on the second floor of Plemmons Student Union is a one-stop shop for App State students looking for career guidance. The center hosts part-time and full-time job fairs, internship fairs, and graduate school fairs around campus each semester, so students can interact with people from the companies and programs they’re interested in. The Career Development Center also hires career guides, who are students trained to help other students perfect their resumes, applications, and cover letters, as well as field questions about upcoming events, and online resources. Career guides are available for one-on-one assistance every Monday-Thursday from 2-4 p.m.
Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship
Maybe your dream job isn’t anywhere to be found at a job fair; Appalachian offers the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship to help students launch their own business and start making money. Whether you’re dreaming up a business idea or want to grow a self-made company you’ve been operating on a small scale, the center offers individual appointments to fit your business’ needs. If you aren’t ready to talk about your idea one-on-one, the Center for Entrepreneurship also hosts roundtables for general questions and idea development. With campus-wide events like the Spring Venture Fund and the Big Idea Pitch Competition, you can promote your ideas for innovation and get funding to develop your business.
Handshake
App State partnered with the job posting site Handshake in May to give students an easily accessible way to find and apply to jobs across the country. Similar to other job hunting sites, you can build a profile with your experience and interests, and Handshake will recommend jobs that you’re qualified for. Local businesses also post part-time and internship applications, so Handshake is worth exploring even before graduation day approaches. Search by location, field, full-time or part-time, and salary to find the best fit for you.
LinkedIn and Lynda
OK, most people know about the importance of a professional LinkedIn profile, but if you look past the fancy headshots and job updates, you’ll see a valuable resource. Connect with people you meet at networking events, your classmates, your professors. Follow industry professionals and hashtags for professions you’re interested in. You can even keep an eye on who is viewing your profile and keep an eye out for job openings at big companies in your field. One of my favorite resources LinkedIn offers, though, is Lynda.com. Lynda is a learning site that has courses for just about everything. I used my month-long free trial to learn more about shooting and editing photos and videos, but they offer training courses on anything from resume writing, to software coding, to data analysis. When you learn a new skill from Lynda, you can update your LinkedIn profile with that skill, and watch your profile views soar.
Career Prep 
