Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

Western’s Werner University Center houses many student resources, including the Center for Professional Pathways. The CPP offers a variety of services, including resume and cover letter assistance, a headshot station, information on the study abroad program and even a snack cart loaded with delicious food. Incredible opportunities are offered at the CPP that many students are unaware of. The Howl had the opportunity to interview the Peer Development Coordinator of the CPP, Jennifer Hansen.

The services at Western’s Center for Professional Pathways are individualized and adjusted to the needs of students. “As students have given us feedback over the years our events have evolved to incorporate that information. I feel we try really hard to meet students where they are at and try to provide a comfortable space for them to grow into their future,” Hansen said.

Undergraduate students may be unsure or concerned about their career or graduate school outcomes after attending Western, but the CPP is a resource that provides valuable insight and support. “With these tools they should be able to launch into their next steps after (Western) smoothly, and if they don’t, we are here to help them pick back up and try again.”  The CPP staff has helped students feel more secure in their plans, and knowing someone is rooting for them is always a confidence booster.

Hansen shared her philosophy when it comes to working with individual students. “Depending upon the nature of the person I can adjust my own demeanor to match so that I’m not as overwhelming… I’ve been told I have a big personality. I am an ENFP so I rely a lot on my intuition when it comes to reading a situation and can adjust well to the needs of others in the room,” Hansen said. The CPP provides students with a Myers-Briggs test to figure out what careers suit them best, whether they are an ENFP, INFJ or fit into another personality type. “I truly am here to serve the students, and want to help each of them reach success in whatever way that means to them,” Hansen expressed .

Choosing a career at Western wasn’t arbitrary for Hansen. “I am an alumni, so (Western), Western Oregon State College when I started, was an easy choice… once I got to campus and got through my interview it felt like coming home,” Hansen said. The programs offered on campus are designed to make students feel comfortable, so they can succeed in college and beyond.

In any career, roadblocks are inevitable — it just depends on how one chooses to deal with them. Especially following the pandemic, schools and companies had to restructure their systems to continue to provide services. “When COVID hit and we were all of a sudden remote and removed from the students, their needs didn’t stop… students still needed our services so I took the materials that we normally share in classroom presentations and learned quickly how to turn them into videos that we could share so that some of our basic information was still easily accessible,” Hansen said. The silver lining of this hurdle was learning new technological skills.

Though many students at Western claim they have busy schedules, and it may be true, utilizing campus resources is worthwhile. “Come see us.  Really, come see us. I cannot tell you how many times students come in, get help, gain answers, leave with some information, and as they are leaving say, ‘why didn’t I come see you sooner?’” Hansen said.

Hansen used a helpful analogy to describe gaining new experiences — “It’s like buying shoes on Amazon for the first time, you truly don’t know they are going to fit until you try them on. It’s so much easier to change direction while you are still a student if you decide what you thought you wanted to do isn’t right.” If one has an aspiration for a certain career, do not be afraid to branch out and take it for a test run. Make connections, and figure out what is the best fit depending on one’s interests.

The starting point to figuring out one’s next steps in a professional field may be simpler than it seems at first. “Really know what your values are when starting out, and know your ‘why,’” Hansen said. “What you value, such as location, or amount of time you spend at work vs. home, or compensation, or team dynamic, can truly play a part in your happiness in your career … knowing your “why” will keep you afloat on the hard days, and there will always be hard days no matter what field you are in,” Hansen said. Continuing to discover oneself will provide necessary knowledge in order to overcome obstacles and hardships.

“As long as most days you are achieving your ‘why,’ then the hard days are a little easier because tomorrow is always a new day and a new chance to fulfill that ‘why’ once again,” Hansen finished. The Center For Professional Pathways is the place to be if students are looking for additional advice.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu