February 8th, 2024

Hello, Bobcat parent and family members of first-year students,

It's nearly career fair season at MSU. I know your student is only in their first year, but, as I mentioned in my last email, getting our students excited about their future careers helps motivate them to persevere through challenging courses and overcome other bumps in the road.

Career events offer students a chance to interact at a different level with potential employers, and the experience might open some doors or lead to new thinking.

One of my favorite quotes is by award-winning management consultant and author Jeanie Daniel Duck, who said, "Confidence is success remembered." Putting yourself out there can be scary, and that fear can stop us from trying new things. I want your student to experience career-related events now, when the stakes are low, to get over that "scary" hump.

Through a career fair, students might make a connection that leads to a part-time job or an internship that may set them on a career path. Many students learn about opportunities and careers they had no idea existed. Simply attending the event can be an icebreaker of sorts for students. Introducing themselves and talking to business professionals is something new, but they realize it's not so intimidating after all. Either way, your student wins.

Getting students to think ahead about how a particular major or set of courses prepares them for a future career can be incredibly motivating. Interning at an accounting firm or as a social media strategist can ignite a passion or cause students to rethink their majors. Again, either way, it's a win! The more we get our students to start college with the end in sight, the more driven they'll be to overcome challenging classes and show resolve through tough situations.

Please encourage your student to attend one or both of these upcoming career events:

• Jabs Meet the Business Recruiters Reception is Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for your student to connect informally with businesses from across the country that recruit our students. Companies range from Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to USDA Rural Development (US Dept of Agriculture) to banks and local start-ups. Most of these companies will also attend the 'big' MSU Career Fair, but sometimes that event can be a little overwhelming for younger students. Our Jabs event helps get their feet wet and build confidence. In fact, we require them to attend as part of their BGEN 215-Career Readiness & Professional Development course.
  
  
• The MSU Spring Career Fair will be held Feb. 28-29. Your student has a more formal opportunity to connect with employers. Some companies are recruiting for full-time post-graduate positions, but some are also looking for interns.

Attending events like these is advantageous for all our students, from first-year to graduate students. Recruiters are here because they want to hire Jabs students! The companies they represent spend time and money planning for these events to gain new hires and build their pipeline.

Of course, we don't expect your student to jump in without a life vest. Our staff is visiting classes and hosting workshops to help students prepare for these events.

Your student came to MSU to attain the knowledge and skills necessary to launch them into a meaningful career that matches their aptitude and interests. We offer the tools to help students reach those goals.

Career preparedness and professional development are so important to us that we have a whole course and center dedicated to it! More on that next time.

Sincerely,

Brenda Truman
Assistant Dean of Student Services & Retention

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