Families

Welcome to the Texas A&M Career Center!

We are home to one of the largest campus recruiting programs in the United States, and are here to help your student prepare for their future career. This starts their first year on campus. Below are some ways you can assist your Aggie(s) in making career decisions, learning necessary professional skills and conducting the job search.

RESOURCES FOR AGGIE FAMILIES

You play an important role in helping your student make good choices about their future.

Researching Majors & Careers

Encourage your Aggie to begin researching possible majors and careers during their Freshman year. There is more flexibility for adjustments in the degree plan and less likelihood of your student taking extra hours and extending time to graduation.

Career Exploration Days (formerly known as the AggiExternship Program) were created to provide students (especially freshmen & sophomores) the oportunity to look inside their future workplace. Students can visit a company related to their major or career interest. They have the opportunity to meet with professionals and ask questions about the field. Career Exploration Days occur in January each year.

Career Center staff are available for individual career advising with students on a walk-in or appointment basis. For assistance in scheduling a meeting with a Career Advisor, students should call the Career Center at (979) 845-5139.

Students have access to career information for all majors at Texas A&M through the My Major feature on our website. Sigi3, an interactive career assessment program, is a great place for student to begin evaluating how their interests align with future career options.

Networking

As a parent or family member, you have connections to a network of individuals in a variety of careers and professions. Therefore, you can assist in many ways to acquaint your son or daughter with a particular job or career.

One way is to encourage your student to do some informational interviewing. This provides students with the opportunity to interview a business representative or professional in their field of interest about their profession, field or industry, or particular company.

Discussions with Former Students through the Find An Aggie feature on the Association of Former Student's website can provide students with additional connections to industry professionals.

Gaining Experience

Internships, cooperative education (co-ops), volunteer experiences, and summer jobs are all types of practical work experience. You will also hear these programs referred to as Experiential Education - work experience directly related to your student's field of interest is invaluable for several reasons:

Students get to experience the job first hand, which helps them to decide whether they want to pursue a particular career.
Students begin to build a network of contacts within their chosen career field.
It shows future employers that students have gained relevant work experience in the real world.
In some cases, students can earn a substantial amount of money to help pay college expenses.

Students can access our HireAggies system to find experiential education opportunities. To further discuss their options, we recommend they schedule an appointment with their Career Advisor.

Employability

In order to compete in today’s job market, students need more than just a college degree. Employers are seeking students who have gained skills outside of the classroom. Writing and presentation skills, technical knowledge, leadership and teamwork abilities, interpersonal skills and experience in diverse settings are a few of the “soft skills” that employers specifically look for in graduates.

Students can enhance their employability in several ways:

Gain leadership skills by participating in campus clubs and professional organizations.
Consider adding a minor or certificate such as business administration, a foreign language or professional event management.
Obtain relevant practical experience through Experiential Education.
Participate in academic research.
Become involved in community outreach.
Increase global awareness through Study Abroad.
Expand knowledge of possible career paths associated with the various degree plans.

In today’s job market, we know the first job your Aggie obtains upon graduation will probably not be the job he or she keeps until retirement. The basic job search abilities are life-long skills. The Career Center offers workshops to teach your student about all phases of the job search process including: researching companies and industries, resume-writing, behavioral interviewing, presenting their portfolio of skills and achievements, business etiquette, and negotiation tactics.

For information on these and other programs, we recommend that your student view our Events page or call the Career Center at 979-845-5139.

Career Fairs

Every semester, Texas A&M University hosts an average of 12-16 Career Fairs that provide a wealth of opportunities for your student. Encourage them to start attending Career Fairs as early as their first year on campus to begin the process of networking, exploring career options, and making professional connections.

Students are welcome to attend any Career Fair on campus - even if it is not one directly related to their major. Your student can view the list of Career Fairs, and all of our scheduled programs, on our Events page.

Graduate or Professional School

Just when you thought the tuition bills were coming to an end, your son or daughter informs you that he or she wants to go to graduate or professional school. This is a big decision for a student to make and there are several considerations to take into account during this process.

The first consideration is your student's career goals. Does the field that he or she wants to enter reward or require a graduate education? Graduate school should not be used as a way to postpone finding a job. Decide what terminal degree is necessary (Master, Doctorate). Decide what criteria are most important in choosing a program. Attending graduate or professional school means a huge investment of time and money.

If your student is considering applying to law, medical, dental, or health-related graduate or professional schools, we recommend they visit with our Professional School Advisors. We are all on-hand to assist students with the research and application processes.

FAQS

How does the Career Center help my student find a job?: One of the largest programs of its kind in the nation, the Career Center specializes in assisting students with the entire career development process. We have professional staff members dedicated to each college and specific programs on campus, each with a professional background working in their respective field.

The Career Center educates students on major and career exploration, in addition to professional skills that include, but are not limited to, resume writing, networking, interviewing, and finding internships and full-time jobs. HireAggies is an online career resource with career assessment tools, resources for interview preparation and professional networking, and thousands of employers who post internships, co-ops and full-time positions.

Professional and graduate school advising, including the navigation of the application process, is also offered through the Career Center.
When should my student start visiting the Career Center?: The short answer: as soon as possible! Career fairs typically start as early as the second week of school, each semester. These events provide real opportunities for students to gain face-to-face interactions with employers. Many employers are using career fairs as early opportunities to identify self-starters to fill the needs of ther intern and co-op programs.

We recommend that students visit the Career Center as early as their Freshman Year, and continue meeting with their Career Advisor each year on campus. We have multiple advisors who work specifically with 1^st and 2^nd year students, assisting them with the career exploration process. Students can begin gaining insight to the world of work as early as their Freshman Year through Career Exploration Days (formerly known as the AggiExternship Program). Many employers are looking for candidates with multiple internships or co-ops, so the earlier your student engages with us, the better. To be a quality candidate in the future, students must begin thinking about their futures now.
Can I accompany my student to their Career Advising appointment?: It depends... the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) states that rights transfer from parents to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a postsecondary school at any age. It is, therefore, not up to the Career Center to allow or dismiss your attendance. However, if your student provides consent, you may attend an Advising appointment with them.
Does the Career Center only invite employers for engineering and business majors to Texas A&M?: We actively seek potential employers for all academic majors and disciplines. The Career Center provides far broader job-search strategies than campus recruiting. If a major is not heavily recruited, a direct-application search can be taken. Please encourage your student to take advantage of the many seminars, programs, and resources aimed at helping them to explore various career options. Additionally, we have Career Advisors who serve specific populations across campus and can meet one-on-one with your student to discuss their job search. Finally, we have 5 advisors on staff who specifically serve students seeking admission to graduate or professional school.
How can my student find salary information?: Your student can visit our Salary Survey and review the salaries of Texas A&M gradates in their major for the past several years. Students should use this as a guide, not a be-all-end-all for their chosen field. We highly recommend that students visit the Career Center to discuss earning potential and salary negotiation strategies.
At what rate and at what salary are Aggies hired?: Aggies are very successful in the job search process for many reasons. Employers value the knowledge, skills and values that are instilled within the students at Texas A&M University during their time on campus. Aggies have gained a national reputation for being successful contributors within organizations. The Aggie Network is a powerful tool in creating a professional network and contacts within your student’s field of interest. However, it is important to remember that salary and job opportunities vary significantly by major, experience gained while in college (both through leadership organizations and employment via part-time work, internships or cooperative education), communication skills, preparation for the job search process, and the initiative necessary to take all the steps necessary to be successful in gaining employment or graduate/professional school admission following their graduation.