Career Development

Embrace your calling

Graduate Admissions - Students debate lecture content
Graduate Admissions - Students debate lecture content

Career Development

embrace your calling

Our goal in Career Development is to empower and equip you to embrace your vocational calling and engage in opportunities to make meaningful career and life contributions. We strive to provide quality services and resources for students, faculty and staff, alumni, employers, and community partners. We hope to facilitate a greater understanding of how God uniquely created you and help you discern the call placed upon your life!

Whether you are entering the world of work for the first time or changing careers, we seek to prepare you with the knowledge and skills to do so with confidence. We are committed to guiding you through the process of establishing professional and lifework goals and taking the steps to achieve them.

Developing Purposeful Graduates

Over the course of the educational journey, we collaborate with you in intentional ways to help you discern and pursue God’s call upon your life. It starts with the first year and progresses through graduation. We created a developmental model to guide you through each step. Each phase builds on previous stages and provides practical action steps you can take to grow in knowledge, skills, abilities, and confidence.

Purpose

The foundation to becoming a purposeful graduate is understanding your individual purpose or passion as it relates to life and career. The Purpose stage is continuous and ongoing, as you ask the big questions about who you are, who you want to become, and the contributions you want to make in the world. In addition to being the foundation, purpose is also a theme woven throughout the other stages, and you may find yourself coming back to this stage as you gain more experience and identify new questions about your future.

Participate

Often associated with your first year of college, the theme of the Participate stage is engage and explore. We encourage you to try new things, step out of your comfort zone, and get involved in campus activities and leadership opportunities. By participating in these ways, you can “test drive” or “try on” skills and abilities that help you connect with your calling and enhance your career development.

One aspect of Participate is learning how you are wired, and we offer a variety of assessments to facilitate that process. By taking an assessment and discussing the results with a career development professional, you can identify majors and career options that best align with your unique combination of strengths, preferences, skills, interests, and values. Such alignment is linked to increased job satisfaction, motivation, and productivity. Even if you already have a sense of what God is calling you to do, a career conversation with us can help you develop a plan for fulfilling it. Please view our list of assessments to learn more.

Prepare

The major components of the Prepare stage are research and reflection. In this stage, we advise you to gather information about potential career pathways by accessing online resources and interacting with professionals in the industries that interest you. Reflecting on the information you gather leads you to make an informed decision. Reflection questions associated with the Prepare stage include: What can I do with this major? What are my options? What do I need to be successful in this career? How do I know if it will be a good fit?

The world of work is full of possibilities. By researching various majors and occupations, you can select one that best fits you. Occupational information helps you know what to expect in relation to educational requirements, stability of that job, day-to-day functions, and salary and wages. We assembled a collection of some of the best resources for enrolled students in MyBushnell. You may also find it beneficial to have a career conversation in this stage, too!

Plan

In the Plan stage, you will begin to make some decisions and develop an action plan for implementing those decisions. Typically, in the third year, you decide what direction you want to go with your major and begin to explore internship possibilities. In addition, you may determine whether to pursue graduate school or full-time employment post-graduation. Through the course of this stage, you will develop a resume and cover letter and begin build interviewing and networking skills in order to secure an internship experience.

Internships are a hallmark of Bushnell University’s curriculum. Every bachelor’s degree in the traditional undergraduate program includes a field experience component or an internship. Internships are designed to prepare you for a career in your chosen field by integrating academic coursework with practical application. It is also an opportunity for you to acquire knowledge, refine skills and abilities, obtain valuable work experience, and expand your professional network. We partner with companies and organizations in the local community to provide quality internship experiences that equip you to be competitive in your chosen field. Learn more about Bushnell University’s internship program.

Pursue

The Pursue stage of the Purposeful Graduate involves executing the plan you developed and evaluating its effectiveness. Often this stage includes completing your internship experience, applying to graduate schools, and/or launching a job search. As a Bushnell University student, you have access to Handshake, an online job search platform, that connects you with hundreds of job opportunities and internships, locally, nationally, and internationally!

For some, graduate school is a natural next step to achieving your career aspirations. We provide resources and assistance in identifying programs of study, preparing for tests, writing essays, and performing in interviews. If an advanced degree is part of your career development, we want to help you get there!

Success in securing employment involves customized and targeted materials that showcase your accomplishments. One size does not fit all when it comes to resumes and cover letters. We provide you with job search tips and strategies for how to present your qualifications effectively and confidently – online, on paper, and in-person. We also facilitate connections with potential employers through signature events, like networking nights and mock interview day, as well as career fairs.

We look forward to collaborating with you on your journey!

Internship Program OVERVIEW

Internship is a key component of carrying out the vision of the University: to be characterized by a commitment to equip students to discover and answer God’s call in their lives.

people posing to the camera at commencement

Alumni Career SERVICES

As a graduate of Bushnell University, your ongoing success matters to us. Whether you are considering a career change, facing a life transition, or re-entering the workforce, we are here to serve you, too.

students in classroom on computer

 assessments

Assessments are valuable tools to assist in identifying strengths, interests, personality traits, values, and skills. They can offer insightful information that can be useful in the decision-making process.

monument sign outside during sun

Employers & RECRUITERS

We value our partnerships with employers! We provide a variety of services to employers, including internship program development, job and internship postings, on-campus recruiting, and general information about the university.

Whitney Shoun, M.S.

Career Development Coordinator