In a post-pandemic world, society has been forced to adapt to changes that have now proven to be more permanent than we originally thought. These changes have inevitably affected many aspects of our society, but one of the biggest is the workforce. As some students are reaching the end of their academic career, job searching is now a priority, but jobs have changed so much in the past four years that many UMass Boston students are unsure about the working world that now awaits them.
One of the biggest changes, which many have either praised or hated, has been the rise in remote work. When our world shut down, a lot of jobs resorted to remote work to keep their businesses up and running amidst physical restrictions. This is something many graduate students now desire and look for, since remote work often promotes a good sense of work-life balance.
Another factor that can worry a lot of people is the fluctuation in job availability that is still currently impacting many fields. Certain careers, such as healthcare or technology, have a significant increase in demand, while other careers, like retail and customer relations, have had a decrease in job listings. This can cause people who are graduating to feel a lessened sense of security in the field they’re entering, which is understandable, as things have been very chaotic in the past few years.
While there have been some good things that have become more common, such as increased attention to employee mental health and greater job flexibility, job searching itself can still be very stressful. This is an important and life-changing transition period, and it’s reasonable to become overwhelmed with the shifts that occur. Consequently, I found myself wondering: What resources does UMass Boston offer to assist with navigating a post-pandemic world and choosing the best career path for me?
The most straight forward resource is The Academic and Career Engagement and Success Center. [1] ACES offers so many different tools during every step of the career search. They offer resume help, interview prep and allow you to speak with a team member to help you get an idea of what you might like to get into after graduating. They also help connect you with internships, which makes this a good resource for any student at UMass Boston, not just rising seniors.
There’s also a very interesting website I found on the UMass Boston website called “Focus 2.” [2] This website gives you personality tests that help curate careers that they think you’ll enjoy. It asks questions regarding your values, work preferences and family obligations, but honestly, the list is endless. For me, it was such a refreshing way to approach the topic of choosing a career. This is a nice tool if you’re unsure of what you’d like to do after graduating but find traditional methods, like Google searches, overwhelming.
There is also UMass Boston’s Handshake, which is a website that shows you job openings, sort of like Indeed, but it’s more focused on students, and shows opportunities like co-ops and internships. [3] This is a good choice if you already know what you’d like to do, as it gives you the option to customize your job recommendations based on things like interests and location. From my own experience, it does do a good job of recommending jobs that I like, many of which I’ve saved to my own profile.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the resources UMass Boston has available for getting a career! Our website had good options for every step of the way like the ACES office for when you’re just getting started and then Handshake for when you’re ready to get that new job.
There’s a career resource for everyone at UMass Boston, which is nice, as this can be a very overwhelming process regardless of where you are on the journey. It was great to get the clear impression that this scary transition doesn’t have to be traversed alone. I’ll make sure to utilize a lot of these resources for myself since I know I’ll really benefit from having the extra help and options. If you end up taking advantage of some of these great resources, I hope you find it helpful in gearing you toward success!
SOURCES:
[1] https://www.umb.edu/academics/seas/career-services/
[2] https://www.focuscareer2.com/Portal/Login.cfm?SID=874
[3] https://www.umb.edu/academics/seas/career-services/handshake/