Hilmar completed his first bachelor’s degree in accounting and proceeded to work in the accounting field for over 15 years, but his real interest and passion was in the area of psychology. After serious consideration, he made a decision to pursue a career in psychology. He returned to college, completed a second bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, and recently started the PhD in Psychology program. He had the competitive goal of finding a higher education teaching position.

While he was pursuing his education in psychology, he also taught German, his first language, to build experience teaching. As many people do, he found it challenging to make a major transition into a new field, but he is on his way! Hilmar worked with Career Services on strengthening his curriculum vita and his cover letter. However, the most important factor impacting his success was the relationship he built with one of his undergrad psychology professors. He stayed in touch through social meetings and kept his previous professor up-to-date on his progress as he continued to pursue his education. It was through this connection that he was eventually able to make the secondary connection he needed to be noticed, to get an interview, and land an adjunct teaching position!

In Career Services, we stress the importance of building a strong professional network. Your network is one of the most important components of managing your career. Make a New Year’s resolution to take a step to strengthen your professional network!

Happy New from your Career Services team!

Written by Career Services Advisor, Denise Pranke