If you’re like me, then you have been hearing the name CCPD since your very first days on campus, and if you’re really like me, then you didn’t manage to retain much of the information about CCPD we were supposed to learn during SPROG and welcome week.   

So, to help us all out, The Megaphone sat down with Adrian Ramirez, director of the Center for Career and Professional Development, in order to get a rundown on CCPD for students new and old looking to take advantage of one of Southwestern’s most powerful resources for building your career before it even begins. 

In a nutshell, what is CCPD, what do they do on campus, and what is your role in the organization?

The Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) is a campus resource students may use to explore their emergent professional interests and prepare for life after college. Our team serves students by offering individual advising on a range of topics, including career exploration, searching for jobs and internships, preparing for graduate school, navigating interview processes, and exploring postgraduate fellowships. We also host a variety of career exploration, professional development, and employer recruiting events. Programs and services related to credit-bearing internships, internship funding, on-campus employment, and industry networking are located within the department. We offer resources to alumni as well.

I serve as director, supporting our team members as they engage in their work. I am also a primary point of contact for employers interested in recruiting for various career and internship opportunities. Regarding my education, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and History, a Master of Business Administration, and I am working on a PhD in Higher Education.

What kind of value can students new and old derive from the career center? And what should they be doing in order to work with y’all best?

We are available to assist students at any point during or following their studies at Southwestern University. That said, we tend to recommend a scaffolded approach to career development. In other words, we want to help students develop the skills necessary for lifelong professional development, so it is important for students to meet with our team and make use of our resources as often as possible.

Do incoming students need to go into CCPD well prepared, or is it better to jump right in and work from there?

An interest in learning about our services and resources is the only requirement. I think it may be similar to deciding on an area of academic interest. Some students know exactly what they want to study in college, while others want to explore various subjects before defining their interests. We want to help students just beginning to explore their professional interests, or attempting to accomplish specific career goals in tandem with defined professional interests, or at any point along the way.

If you had to give incoming students advice who are looking to focus on professional aspirations early, what would it be?

Start by meeting with our team to create professional development plans and timelines specific to your interests. We want to make sure you are aware of opportunities aligned with those interests and that you do not miss application windows or chances to develop requisite skills. Also, get to know the Southwestern University staff, faculty, and administrators whose efforts shape your campus experiences. They may be engaged in work you find interesting and can offer insights related to their expertise.

CCPD is a completely free resource on campus, and an invaluable one at that. It can be very easy to push things like internships to the back of your mind, deciding to “look into it some other time” or “save it for a later summer”, especially with the everyday chaos college brings. Going out of your way to add more to your plate is a difficult pill to swallow, but professional opportunities like internships are not going to be there forever. The longer you wait, the less chances you’ll have, and the faster you go, the more your opportunities will grow.