The Career Skills Studio events by West Texas A&M University’s Office of Career and Professional Development are a series of lectures in which students can learn skills valuable to planning and achieving their career goals beyond college.
These lectures are done by the staff members of the office. Any student is welcome to attend.
“Each one [the Career Skills Studios] is set up to have elements of lecture as well as some interactive, hands-on type learning,” Jessi Barrientos, senior career services coordinator, said. “So hopefully we’re catching multiple learning styles, and helping students to learn basic career skills.”
The Office of Career and Professional Development is located at Classroom Center 113 on the WT campus.
“There’s five of us in the Office of Career and Professional Development,” Barrientos said. “One of us is usually there if someone wants to walk in and get more information.”
But how early is too early to begin planning a career? Barrientos had this to say.
“Even if you’re a freshman, I think the more you explore the more you’ll be really certain that the degree you’re putting a lot of time and money into is the right one for you,” Barrientos said. “I would really like to encourage people to think about internships and volunteer experiences earlier than they might. Because it lets you try out a bunch of different career opportunities.”
The Career Skills Studio workshops are in place to begin this journey. That is what they are to be utilized for, a starting point.
“The reason students should utilize these events is the same reason that they’re going to college here,” Barrientos said. “We are helping them to get practical skills that will help them take their education into the career path they want to when they are done here [at WT].”
If students need a personal learning session, an appointment may be more helpful.
“If you want more one-on-one assistance, we offer appointments on all the topics that our studios offer,” Barrientos said. “You can find appointment information on Handshake.”
The Handshake app is used for appointments and student job applications. And can be downloaded by any student.
“You can find us on the WT website. If you search for Handshake or career development, you’ll find us on there. And we do have accounts on Instagram and LinkedIn,” Barrientos said. “So if you have social media, you can look there.”
