The Imagined Futures: Graduate Professional Development Initiative applies arts and humanities strategies to build preparation for diverse career paths into graduate offerings, equipping our students and alumni to find meaningful work and address critical societal challenges.
Career allies are everywhere!
Nobody builds a career alone. We all need a community of mentors, colleagues and friends who will share their networks, help us think through our options and find our way into meaningful work that fits our values, skills, and interests.
- EXPLORE: It’s best to have several mentors — inside and outside the university. Talk with lots of people about their career paths.
- LEARN: You can learn a lot about other people’s career paths online. Search AlumniFire or narrow a LinkedIn search to focus on Ohio State alumni who hold degrees like yours. You’ll often be able to see what they’re doing now and what steps they took to get there.
- CONNECT: Alumni are usually glad to talk with students. Once you’ve found them on AlumniFire or LinkedIn, you can ask for an informational interview to find out about their work lives. The Imagine PhD tool, which requires a free, confidential account, explains how.
- LISTEN: This podcast episode by Maren Wood explains “How to Network When You Don’t Have a Network” (23 min).
- REACH OUT: Ohio State faculty and staff who have Career Ally door hangtags, stickers or desk signs have agreed to support students in career exploration. Feel free to reach out to them.
- ENROLL: The one-credit course ARTSSCI 6000: Career Exploration for Graduate Students offers support in finding your allies and making a plan.
To learn more about the Imaged Futures Initiative — visit the program homepage