A successful career path does not begin the moment you cross a stage and are handed a diploma. Rather, it begins with career planning, preparation, and experiences during the college years.

Luckily, Gettysburg College students have a powerful ally to help them chart their course as they navigate the sometimes-unclear path of career planning and preparation: the Center for Career Development (CCD). The CCD is an invaluable resource, offering career-planning opportunities including resume writing and interviewing workshops, internships, graduate school advising, and networking dinners.

There are countless ways the CCD can help you prepare for your future career. Read on to find out more about career opportunities and what they can do for you.

Internships, externships, and job shadowing

The CCD offers internships, which are short-term work and learning experiences in a professional workplace environment. They are typically offered part-time during the semester or part- or full-time in the summer.

A recent grad said that internships provide a different view of a career track. They allow students to ask many questions, make great contacts and see all the areas future professions potentially lead them towards.

Students have interned at organizations including NBC News, IBM, L.L.Bean, Goldman Sachs, the National Park Service, the U.S. Senate, Fox Chase Cancer Research Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Reading Hospital (Shane Thorp '14, pictured at left in the OR during an internship with neurosurgeon Dr. Ray Truex '63 at Reading Hospital).

Another internship opportunity is the Siegfried Career Development Fellowship. Siegfried Fellowships began in the summer of 2012 with a generous gift to the CCD from Jeff Siegfried ’81, CEO of Omni Cable. The fellowship will provide students with a meaningful, outcomes-based internship and mentoring opportunities in a myriad of organizational settings.

The CCD also offers shorter-term career opportunities. Externships are typically one-week intensive experiences in a workplace environment, offering considerable insight into job and life demands of a career in the student's field of interest. Externships are usually offered over the summer. Job shadowing is a one-day experience in which students shadow alumni or parent volunteers in the workplace as they go about their day's work. Job shadowing is commonly offered over winter break.

Career immersion trips

Career immersion trips are three-day intensive career programs designed to give students an opportunity to learn and gain knowledge about various career fields. Commonly held over winter break in January or after exams in May, these programs include site visits to companies, meetings with alumni and parents, a case study presentation, and networking receptions.

A January 2013 immersion trip (pictured above) offered students a glimpse into the future of careers in real estate and "green" development. Immersion trips have been offered since 2004, and past trips focused on careers in film and television (California), the arts (New York and Philadelphia), finance (New York and Boston), publishing (New York), and immigration and the law (Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.).

View more photos of the January 2013 immersion trip to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.

Networking dinners and job and internship fairs

Students are also able to make direct connection with potential employers through networking dinners and job and internship fairs (pictured at right).

Career networking dinners are a chance for Gettysburg students to socialize and network with alumni, parents, and friends of the College, and are typically held during winter break. At these dinners, students hear about various career areas, get suggestions about their own career or graduate school path, and network with potential employers for internships or full-time jobs.

Other career resources

The CCD offers career-interest surveys, advice on selecting a major, job search strategies, graduate-school information, and a variety of other resources to help students choose a career direction that makes sense – and pursue it with skill and confidence.

About the Center for Career Development

The Center for Career Development's goal is to ensure that Gettysburg College students have the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to start a successful career.

The CCD works individually with students to explore career options, select a major, customize a career plan, and follow it through to a rewarding future. Gettysburg's extensive career network allows students, alumni, faculty, and parents to tap into the invaluable experience and career connections of our College community.

The CCD is in the midst of an intensive five-year campaign, the Career Connector Challenge, to help students learn about potential careers. With the help of alumni, parents and friends of the College, the Challenge aims to create 1,832 new career-related opportunities for students by 2014. Response to the Challenge has been overwhelming, with more than 800 career opportunities in 2010 alone.

"The Career Connector Challenge is a great way to reengage alumni with the College and allow them to give back to the campus community in a unique way," CCD Director Kathy Williams said. "Additionally, students are afforded the opportunity to learn from the expertise of alumni or parents and network with professionals in a particular field." 

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Contact: Nikki Rhoads, senior assistant director of communications, 717.337.6803