(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Career and Co-op Center) “UML student speaks to EJ Callahan & Associates representatives at the career fair”

Conor Moyer

Connector Staff

UMass Lowell has built a reputation for preparing students to meet that future head-on. Through co-op programs, internships, and career workshops, the university promises to give students the tools they need to succeed after graduation. But how confident are students in that promise?

Sitting in a room filled with the hum of fluorescent lights and the rhythmic clicking of keyboards is Sawai Vilayvanh. A sophomore studying business administration with a concentration in accounting, she seems assured of her future. “I’m fairly confident in finding a job after college,” she says. “There’s a demand for accountants.” 

But she knows it’s not the same for everyone in her major. “If you’re a B.A. major and not concentrated in accounting, you need to use this time to network and find internships.” For those students, UML offers an annual business career fair and career advisors for those seeking internships. “They offer plenty of resources. They’re just not always the most functional,” she says.

For engineering students, however, the path seems clearer. Jackson Moller, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, feels optimistic about the co-op program UMass Lowell offers. This program allows students to gain paid, full-time work experience in their field while alternating semesters between academic study and industry work. “The co-op program seems promising. If they like me and I like them, I could walk right into a job after graduation.” 

Much like Jackson, Lydia Robert, a sophomore double majoring in environmental and political science, feels secure in her future. “I want to become an environmental lawyer,” she says, looking towards law school after graduation. For law school hopefuls, UML has a pre-law society and two dedicated pre-law advisors, David McCauley and Walter Toomey. These advisors offer advice on law school applications and pursuing careers in law.

However, she acknowledges that while UMass Lowell provides career resources like resume reviews and mock interviews, they’re not always front and center. “You have to search for them,” Lydia says, but she believes there is support if students take the time to find it. Political science major Isabella Liotta, who hopes to work as a paralegal before law school, agrees. “They should promote more career-focused workshops,” she says, pointing out that while resources exist, they could be more visible.

For students like Pumpkin St. Pierre, a junior studying music performance, the future is both a promise and a risk. “I want to be a music therapist,” she says, confident in attending graduate school and attaining a license.

Like her peers, Pumpkin believes the resources at UMass Lowell are helpful but require students to seek them out. “For music performance majors, they have a class on how to find jobs,” she says, speaking of the music business classes offered every semester. Like Lydia and Isabella, she knows it’s up to the students to seek out what’s there. “they’re in place; it’s just whether or not people will or want to use them.”

Offering multiple career fairs, a comprehensive co-op program, and career advisors, the university has made strides in helping prepare students for the next steps in their professional lives.

Yet, as some students have pointed out, there’s always room for improvement. More visibility for career resources, more workshops, and better promotion of opportunities could help ensure every student feels as prepared as their peers. For now, though, many students are walking confidently toward their future careers because of the resources from UML, hopeful for a future that seems to be always moving, always changing, and always asking for more.