St Paul Campus Career Center Student Success Stories

"Paul" - Bio-based Products, Marketing and Mangement
Paul came to the St. Paul Campus Career Center after unsuccessfully searching for a full-time job for 6 months. He was feeling frustrated after applying for many jobs and not getting any interviews. Over three individual appointments, one of our career counselors helped him to revise his resume to better reflect his qualifications, and also taught him to how to better tailor his cover letters to individual positions. During these appointments, time was also spent teaching Paul the importance of networking, informational interviews and using technology such as Linked In to connect with professionals and employers After implementing these strategies, Paul immediately began securing job interviews, and within a couple of months Paul had three full-time job offers! He accepted one of them and has been working in this new position for a month.

Identifying great career options during a recession

You know we have great academic programs at the U of M. What students and their families are wondering is how will it get me a good job when I graduate? Our St. Paul Campus Career Center will help you land a great job when you graduate. They have many tools to help you be successful in finding a rewarding career including

• resume and cover letter critiques
• job search coaching
• practice interviews and 
• career interest assessments.

We also have two Career Courses that are designed to help students make informed and thoughtful career decisions. Both are one credit courses so it is very easy to add either of these to your normal class load.

• CFAN 1201 - Discovering Majors and Careers
• CFAN 3201 - Strategic Career Planning

Students who have taken these classes have given great feedback with each class receiving top marks on the class evaluation.  

Stay tuned for student success stories that have used the St. Paul Campus Career Center's resources to find a great job!

Meet a Current Student: Karen Korslund

Name:  Karen Korslund

Hometown: Eagle Grove, IA

Major:  Nutrition

What do you want to do when you graduate? I would like to obtain a master's degree in Nutrition Science as well as become a registered dietitian. After that I see myself working on research projects to prevent childhood obesity.

Favorite class:  Introduction to Food Science (FSCN 3102). For part of the course we had a lab section where we made many different types of food. We would apply the information that we learned in lecture to how our food appeared after manipulating the recipe in different ways. On top of actually getting to apply the knowledge, it was fun to eat the food!

Best U of M memory:  I have great memories going to fun events with my friends. (It's so easy to make good friends at college!) This can include watching movies or bowling at Coffman Student Union. I've also been to football games at TCF Bank Stadium and watched the Twins play while enjoying "Dollar Dome Dogs" on student nights.

Why did you chose the U of M? I chose the U of M because I wanted to have some adventures before settling down to work! There isn't a better time to explore new places than while in college. Since I lived in a town of 4,000, coming to the city was really exciting. Plus, I knew when I started looking for internships or a permanent job that being at the center of two large cities would be a great asset.

Meet Your Professor: Paul Porter

 

Name: Paul Porter

Job title: Professor, Cropping Systems Agronomist

Where do you work? I work on the St. Paul Campus and in field plots in various locations around the state. 

What are you areas of interest (both inside and outside of the classroom)? I am interested in agricultural sustainability both locally and globally. I am also interested in researching cropping systems and rotations, cover crops and alternative production systems. I am an avid runner, bicyclist and swimmer. 

What classes do you teach?

• Agro 1901 - Evaluating Starvation: Revisiting Malthus in the Era of Malthus
• Agro 3202 - Environment, Global Food Production and the Citizen
• Agro 4103 - World Food Problems
• Agro 5999 - Agroecosystems Analysis Field Course
• CFAN 3480 - Food and Agriculture From Cairo to Capetown at 10mph

How long have you worked for the college? I have been employed by the U of M since 1995 (the first 5 years I was located at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center at Lamberton).  

Why did you choose to work at the U of M? I am a Minnesota native and I enjoy life in Minnesota!

Any words of advice to prospective students? Pursue your passion and make life-long learning a priority.

Anything else you would like to add? I love my job! It has allowed me to truly learn about agriculture in different parts of the state and world.