Career reflection
Summary
Outside of class, students watch a 10-15 minute recorded interview with a recent alumnus who discusses their job, pathway to it, and any recommendations they have for current students. Students then write a brief reflection that they submit prior to class. A follow-up discussion allows students to share their reflections and make additional connections between the course and careers.
Context
Audience
The career reflection can be used in courses at any point in an undergraduate major. Early exposure to careers in lower-level courses (100- and 200-level) helps students see the range of career opportunities available to them. In upper-level courses, interviews can target the specific skills in a given course to provide context for the skills they are learning.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
This assignment is accessible to students at any level; there are no prerequisite skills needed.
How the activity is situated in the course
I include five career reflections in one 10-week course. It is a frequent, low-stakes assignment that encourages honest reflection.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Students will:
1. Develop awareness of the range of jobs and career pathways available to them in the geosciences.
2. Reflect on their own interests and skills and how they align with different geoscience jobs.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Other skills goals for this activity
Description and Teaching Materials
Students watch a 10-15-minute interview with a recent alumnus from our program. In the interview, they are asked:
- What is your current job?
- What do you do day-to-day?
- If applicable: When/why did you decide to get your Masters?
- How did you go about looking for a job when you graduated?
- How did you get the current job you have? (And how did you get other geology jobs if you've had others?)
- Do you have any advice for students just entering the geology major?
- Do you have any advice for students graduating soon?
After watching the interview, students complete a brief reflection and submit it through a learning management system. The prompt for students is:
After watching this week's interview, answer one of these questions. What did you hear in the interview that could help you...
...decide what you'd like to do after graduation?
...plan how to go through your remaining time [in college]?
...learn what kinds of geology-related jobs are interesting to you?
In other words, pick something in the interview that applies to you (or resonated with you) and tell us about it.
The instructor reads and collates their responses prior to class, and leads a discussion in class (or online) to further connect the interview and alumnus to the course.
Students complete 4-8 reflections per course at the 200-level, and additional reflections in upper-level courses.
Teaching Notes and Tips
We conducted interviews of our own alumni using a common set of questions so that they can talk specifically about their pathway from our program to their job and career. We recorded them using Zoom, and share them across the department for all to use. We add a few new ones each year.
Assessment
Students' responses to reflection questions are graded for completeness and thoroughness rather than correctness, as there is no correct answer. Grading is on a 3-point scale:
--3 points = Complete, thorough, coherent response
--2 points = Response does not address all components of the prompt
--1 point = Response only minimally addresses the prompt and/or is incoherent
--0 points = No response