Shaping my path as an A&S student: On-campus co-op

It can be difficult to find a career path as an Arts and Sciences student. I’ve been interested in writing and its many applications for the greater part of my life. When I ultimately decided to go to the University of Cincinnati, I chose Rhetoric and Professional Writing (commonly known as RPW amongst the English department) as my track in the English BA. I very quickly discovered I wanted Creative Writing to be one of my majors and with an interest in editing and no specific direction, I added the Copyediting and Publishing certificate.

Now that I’m in my senior year and graduating this coming spring, I could say that trying everything was a wise choice. My classes combined professional writing, creative writing, editing, publishing and other areas to set me up to have a broad and knowledgeable skillset. A little into my sophomore year, however, I realized this wouldn’t be my guiding light post-graduation when it came to finding a career. I found an internship as a copy editor and then a year later, as a marketing communications intern at a company in Cincinnati.

The most memorable part of my co-op so far was walking around the career fair with my supervisor and observing how she took photos and interacted with students, faculty and employers. As an A&S English student, the UC Technical and Professional Career Fair seemed a bit elusive to me. I was intimidated and unsure as to how I could market my writing skills to employers. Being able to get insight through helping my supervisor has been helpful, as I was featured in a “How to introduce yourself to employers” video. During this I not only assisted with creating helpful content for students but I practiced my elevator speech with a real employer. After the career fair I helped with marketing and video compilation, which introduced me to a new skillset I hadn’t practiced beforehand.

Seemingly small, but for me, overwhelming choices like professional clothing and etiquette were a mystery before my professional experiences — especially the on-campus co-op. The value of having real, tangible experience I can put on my resume is unmatched — to prove that I will not just have a degree after graduation, but I also have the experience to back it up. I have found there to be many opportunities to prepare myself for entering the professional world post-graduation. I can fully say, without any hesitation, that being able to work and learn on campus has made me confident in this next and quickly approaching chapter of my life.

Luckily, there are countless resources on campus to help A&S students like me find a path. The Bearcat Promise Career Studio, On-Campus and Service Learning Co-op opportunities via Handshake, and professional courses and certifications through the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies. You just have to seek them out!