Career Services and Community Service Learning: A Clear Connection

by Ann Abbott

 Sometimes, the right question is posed to you and answering allows you to reflect on all the disparate things you've been working on and see within them a common thread. 

This was the information I was asked to respond to today:

Following is a description of the Career Services Council (CSC):
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The Career Services Council serves as a forum for career service, career counseling, and pre-professional practitioners to review current developments in the practice of career planning and trends in the economy and environment which relate to students’ post-graduate outcomes.

 The Council members collaborate in offering common services and programs that serve the general university community and advocate for the essence and value of career services to the University of Illinois. The Council reviews policies and procedures which clarify and document the work of the various career offices on campus in their efforts to effectively and efficiently serve students, employers, and the university community.
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If you are interested in becoming a part of CSC , please send us a paragraph about how part of your job aligns with the CSC mission.

This was my response:

As Director of Undergraduate Studies, part of my job is to help students conceive of Spanish as a major/minor that has viable career outcomes. (This is sometimes a perspective that differs from faculty perspectives, and I would welcome the support and suggestions of the CSC on this and other struggles.) My teaching and research also make connections between academic life and careers: I integrate community service learning into my courses (e.g., "Spanish in the Community") and teach languages for specific purposes courses (e.g., "Business Spanish" and "Spanish & Entrepreneurship"), and several of my publications have explored the central, yet often ignored, role of student professionalization in community service learning. You can see my CV and publications at this link. Among other things, I teach my students about social media marketing (in Spanish and English), and I use social media myself to speak to students about career options and career preparation. Here are some examples:
I hope this information is pertinent and helpful.

 Ann

What would your response be?

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