What is the ProfessionOwl Plan (POP)?
The Center for Career Development has created a roadmap to empower YOU to develop the skills and understand the tools necessary to find and make your place in the world. Whether you’re thinking about applying to internships, full-time jobs or graduate school, through POP, you will be able to make progress in the process of career development towards any of these goals.
POP is designed to help you learn more about yourself, careers, professional communication skills and more! As you move through the areas, you will be able to:
- Articulate your skills, values, and preferences of a particular career
- Gain knowledge of career options through researching and networking
- Understand how to craft resumes, cover letters, graduate school applications, practice interviewing and develop a “pitch” to introduce yourself to others
- Develop an action plan to help you realize professional goals
- Transition successfully to the world of work/life after Rice
UNIV 212: ProfessionOwl Program
Register for this 1 credit hour course based on our POP wheel above. The class is a primarily online format, with flexible face-to-face options, as a holistic approach to career development. By the end of the course, you will:
- identify knowledge of self and careers
- effectively articulate skills/experiences
- determine a next career step
The course is offered in Canvas in the Fall, Spring and Summer. For more information, email ccd@rice.edu.
FAQs about the flexible POP plan follow (not the for credit course). You can move through the questions, prompts and reflections at your own pace (aka - "pop" in wherever you is best for you):
- Where should I start?
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What question on the wheel graphic above resonates with you? Maybe you’re a Freshman getting started...a Sophomore exploring...a Junior who completed an internship and knows exactly what they want to pursue but not sure how to get there, a Senior who is switching majors and continuing to explore interests or a Graduate student who is deciding between academia and industry. It doesn’t matter where you are in the career development process. The point is, we want you to start somewhere.
Start wherever is most appropriate for you - there isn’t a particular order since this guide is meant to help all Rice students. Learn and take knowledge into action in your next experiential opportunity. This might mean an externship, internship, job, research position, graduate school or a fellowship.
- Do I need to finish POP in a certain timeframe?
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No! POP can be repeated as many times as you see fit (you might go through the sections early on at Rice, participate in an experiential opportunity, pivot and repeat). Note the UNIV 212 course does have firm timelines since it's a semester long course.
- Can I make an appointment to learn more about each area of the wheel and/or go through my reflections?
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Absolutely! We encourage you to touch base with a CCD staff member by scheduling an appointment or, during drop-in hours. We are happy to help guide you through this process.
- Are all of the workshops listed in different areas of POP offered each semester?
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Most of the workshops are offered each semester (or, specifically in Fall or Spring). The best way to confirm (and RSVP) is to check the events section of 12twenty. Workshop offerings are evaluated each year, so changes to content and topics may happen.
Still have questions? Contact ccd@rice.edu.