Taking the Next Steps in Your Career
As I reach the end of my work term, one thing has become clear to me: being the Arts Work Experience Communications and Program Support Intern (or AWECAPSI for short) is a unique experience. I have had the privilege of learning about the value of programs like AWE and the ins on what career education and management look like for Arts students, while also trying to navigate my own career path and figuring out what I want to do in the future. As you might be able to tell, being a student in AWE while simultaneously working for the program can feel sort of meta at times. Getting a behind the scenes view into AWE and the Faculty of Arts has been extremely cool, but I can’t lie, it has also been a bit daunting.
When I first stepped into this role in May 2023, I had no idea what would be in store for me over the next 12 months. However, over the past year, I’ve developed so many new skills, met so many amazing people and really solidified what my interests and strengths are in a work environment. On the flip side, I’ve also felt confused and scared and dealt with some pretty serious imposter syndrome. Taking a year-long work term felt intimidating and I often found myself asking questions like: will this be worth it? Is this role enough to set me up for success? Reflecting back on these questions now that I have a year of work experience under my belt, I still wonder: has this experience been enough? Over the past 11 months, my colleagues and peers have said things like: “you’re going to have to turn down job offers this summer” or “this is going to change your life”. Although I have definitely felt more prepared this time around when applying for summer positions, I still felt the stress of my work search even though I am now a more “competitive” applicant. I feel a bit of pressure to move onto something cool and exciting to not only advance my career but also impress my colleagues, like I have to prove that my current work experience has been successful. At times this felt really isolating, but realistically, I knew I couldn’t possibly be alone in this experience when there have been so many AWECAPSI's before me. To ease my worries, I sat down with a few AWECAPSI alumni to try to gain some more perspective on how they felt after completing their year-long work terms as the Arts Work Experience Communications and Program Support Interns. What I found really cool about these conversations was that, no matter how long it had been since they were in my role or what they are currently up to, several common themes ran throughout their stories.
Most, if not all, highlighted the preparation it gave them to work in a professional environment and office setting. Claire Wasel (AWECAPSI 2021-22, B.A. Honors Psychology ‘23) noted that the top skills she developed during her time in AWE were “professional skills in general, especially in communication”. Learning how to professionally communicate was essential to her growth and what influenced how she made decisions about her career moving forward. When she first entered the role, she didn’t have a background in journalism and communication writing. By the end, she had enjoyed writing so much that it threw her for a loop! Claire wondered if she should continue following her path in Psychology that involved the scientific background she had spent 3 years studying, or reach for something creative in communications? Either way - she was prepared. The communications experience gave her “the confidence and skills to reach out to people” and it “allowed her to connect with so many different people.” Networking allowed her to explore her options and figure out her path going forward, landing her the role she's currently in as a Research Assistant for the Faculty of Engineering, focusing on Industrial and Organizational Psychology. At the end of the day, Claire’s piece of advice is to “just email people!”
For most of the previous AWE interns, confidence in their skills and abilities was also a huge takeaway. For Niabi Kapoor (AWECAPSI 2017-18, B.A. English and Spanish ‘19) the confidence came through as certainty in her passions and interests. As an English and Spanish major who took her post-AWE career journey abroad to Spain, there was always room to try new things. Being AWECAPSI helped her to “learn what I'm capable of and how to highlight my skill sets and market them to employers.” She knows what her strengths are, which for her is writing and communications. Being in AWE has allowed her to recognize “how many job opportunities there are for Arts students” and how diverse the degree can be, but she knows that she will always find her way back to writing. Niabi currently works for an IT company, but still pursues writing on the side. She said that “I love doing communications and find it rewarding… I’m always open to different opportunities and AWE taught me that and even when I'm pursuing other opportunities, I somehow always find myself looking for communications projects on the side.” The ability to recognize your own strengths and interests is such a benefit to have in your career management.
For Jacklyn Rocha (AWECAPSI 2022-23, current B.A. English student) this translated to how she shows up in the classroom upon returning to academic courses after her internship. A huge part of the AWECAPSI role is developing public speaking skills, and Jacklyn notes that “I never would have spoken up before in class but now I can’t shut up!” This helped her when she transitioned to being a Communications Summer Student at WCB-Alberta after her work term, “I have the confidence to speak up in meetings now too… I’ve learned that as long as I’m passionate about something it’s easy for me to speak up about it.” This confidence isn’t always as clear cut as it may seem though. Although she has the skills to be a competitive applicant in her future job applications, it can also feel like a lot of pressure. Jacklyn remarked that “on one hand you have more confidence because of your experience and on the other hand you do feel that the stakes are higher going forward.” It was nice to hear that someone else felt the same way that I currently do, and that this pressure is not unique or isolated.
Developing your skills and gaining new experiences are huge benefits of going on a work term, especially as AWECAPSI. Something else I was curious about though, is what the transition out of the role felt like for others. Erinne Ng (AWECAPSI 2019-2020, B.A. Honors Linguistics ‘21) noted that one of the most challenging aspects of her career so far has been navigating the next steps to take. Erinne, who currently works as a Communications Officer with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, has always been someone who “wants a map and steps she can follow tied up in a cardboard box with a bow”, and realizing that this isn’t the reality of the working world was hard to come to terms with. She noted that being forced to take ‘next steps’ can be an awakening. “After leaving the AWECAPSI role, it became clear to me that what I wanted isn’t how careers work and it can be hard to see other people being so successful when you feel so lost regarding what to do next” Erinne noted. Everytime you leave a role or feel like it might be time to move on, there is a degree of loss that comes with that. Erinne remarks that “there is grief that comes with leaving a job and it’s okay to take time and be patient with your career.” There is a lot of pressure to always move on to the next big thing, but it doesn’t always come naturally or happen so fast, “I’ve learned that you can enjoy what you have right now and if you put in the work and effort and things will unfold when they do.” Speaking with Erinne and the other AWE CAPSI’s taught me that oftentimes, the next steps aren’t always obvious or exactly what we’ve dreamed of, and that’s okay. You’re allowed to take your time to explore your options further.
Ultimately, getting to talk to the previous AWECAPSI interns was an enlightening experience. I have felt a lot of fear regarding the next steps as I transition out of this role and into something new, but knowing that those who came before me felt similarly has helped a ton. As I talked about careers with the people who once walked the same path that I’m currently on, I thought about my own answers to my initial questions. Realistically, I have no clue where I’ll be a year, or even five years from now, but I do know that I have a goal of sticking to my gut instincts and saying yes to new opportunities, even if they seem daunting. This role has improved my confidence in a way that is evident in my professional and personal life and I am forever grateful for it. I’ve had the privilege of spending the last 11 months working with some of the best people I’ve ever had the chance to know (something that all of the AWECAPSI’s emphasized, by the way) and I know that no matter what happens, I have the skills, confidence and professional network to set me up for success. I’ve also learned that when it comes to careers, it isn’t necessarily about knowing the exact next opportunity to take, but rather being willing to take the leap when an opportunity comes along.
This article was written by Hannah Wiley, the 2023-24 Arts Work Experience Communications and Program Support Intern. At the time this article was written, Hannah is currently in her fourth year of her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English and minoring in Women's and Gender Studies. Hannah will be continuing her Communications work in summer 2024 at the Worker's Compensation Board - Alberta and is looking forward to returning to campus as a Career Peer Educator during the 2024-25 school year. She can't wait to graduate in 2025 and hopes to continue her education by pursuing graduate studies in the future.