The Department of Communication’s Alumni Advisory Board is hosting Career Workshops on Oct. 24 in the Memorial Student Center, Room 2300.
The board hosts the workshops once a year for current students, providing networking opportunities and a chance for current students to hear how professionals in the communication field have utilized their degrees.
The alumni board is hosting a variety of panels to offer students the opportunity to ask questions about a ‘day in the life’ of a professional in the communication field, said President of the Alumni Advisory Board Benton Hodges, Class of 2006.
“The board has a vast array of different careers that we represent,” Hodges said. “The whole goal of it is to share those career opportunities with current communication students. This lets them know what our journey looks like and how we got where we are.”
The Alumni Advisory Board was created by a group of former students who graduated with communication degrees. This allowed them to provide a networking forum specifically for A&M’s Department of Communication, said Kylene Wesner, Class of 2014, assistant director of undergraduate studies and instructional assistant professor of communication.
“[The Alumni Advisory Board] came together in order to provide opportunities for current students, to educate them,” Wesner said. “They can give them information about what it’s like out in the world after you [leave A&M] and give them information their professors can’t give them.”
During the spring semester, the Alumni Advisory Board offers COMM 280. The class has weekly lectures from communication alumni who share their advice on how they have navigated their career paths with a degree in communication or journalism. This class doubles as away for students to network with alumni, said Jessica Clements, Class of 1996 and vice president of the alumni advisory board.
“We do have several members who actually got internships by coming through the 280 class and networking,” Clements said. “They have met alumni members who were able to get them internships with their company. It is a really good opportunity.”
The alumni board has also established the “Comm Days” every fall to offer open-forum panels so students can ask questions and learn about the real lives of communication professionals.
After the workshops this week, the Alumni Advisory Board is hosting a networking event at The Spot on Northgate at 5:30 p.m. Current communication students will be offered free food and drinks, as well as the chance to ask questions and network with alumni.
“We always do networking events when we’re in town,” Hodges said. “It is a fun and social setting for everyone so they can come out and ask questions.”
More information about the times and topics of the Career Workshop panels is available online at through the Texas A&M event calendar.