Why Everyone Needs to Apply for the UShadow Program

By Madison Bowden, Toppel Peer Advisor

This semester I was accepted into the UShadow Program, a very unique program offered at the Toppel Career Center. This program matches you with a professional in a field of work that you are interested in. The great part about this program is that there is no pressure that comes with an interview but you have the capability of getting to know the professional on a level of an interview and ask as many questions as you want! I got to spend the day at the office of Klique, a new application on the market. I spent the day learning from the CEO, Matt Crown and Marketing Director, Derek Du Chesne about all the ins and outs of creating such a complex application. I was also able to help brainstorm Marketing campaigns and how they are handling their launch coming in a month. This experience taught me how to address a professional setting and learn about pursuing my Marketing Career. Klique is also an innovative application that allows you to meet new people with friends by your side. Klique is one of the first apps that allows for group-to-group social networking. The wonderful Klique team had me acquainted with the app and using it the day of our meet up. I am so grateful about all I learned through the meet up and UShadow Program. Be sure to check out this app and download it! It is a great platform for socializing in groups!

Check it out:

http://www.klique.com

So Much Free Time!

By Marian Li, Toppel Peer Advisor

You’ll soon be saying sayonara to the balmy Miami weather and saying hello to actual winter wherever you call home. While you’re on break over the holidays, it’s easy to get into a lazy mode where you sit around doing nothing with your days, letting them mesh into one long continual nap fest where the days lose their names. While there is some value in taking a breather and relaxing, there is only so much rest necessary and, to be fair, you have other, more important things to do. Make the most of every moment; you’ll be happy you did once you’re back into the swing of second semester!

Update your resume – Regardless of where you are in your job search, use this spare time to create or update your resume. Did you learn a new skill in any of your classes this semester? Consider adding your relevant coursework and updating your grade point average as well. Did you work last semester? Include any work experience and add versatile details. Also add any volunteer work you did, or if you were an active member of any clubs. Your resume is the key to applying for internships and jobs, so you want to keep it up to date and looking its best.

Find a short-term internship – Put your time off to good use with a short-term internship. Inquire about internship opportunities during break at your career center and by searching for internships the same way you would during the semester. If you aren’t seeing anything available, try and make your own internship opportunity. Spruce up your resume, research nearby companies you’d like to work with, and send them a standout e-mail detailing what you’re looking for and what you can offer them. Explain why you want to intern at that specific company during your break and why you’d be a good fit. If neither of the above works, get a head start on your spring semester or summer internship search. Start researching companies and keeping track of internship opportunities.

Shadow an employee in your desired field – If you can’t intern at a company, find out if you can shadow an employee for a period of time. Shadowing an employee is a nice way to get a glimpse into the career – what a typical day entails, what’s required of employees, and what the atmosphere is like. If you are certain of what you want to do, this is a fantastic opportunity to see what skills you could work on now to improve your job search. You can learn specific computer programs or other skills you see in use, and figure out which personal attributes are needed for the job. On the other hand, if you’re still not sure what career path is right for you, shadowing workers in a few different industries could be your chance to see what various jobs are like and help you make a better decision.

Volunteer – The holiday season is all about helping those less fortunate, so it’s a great time to volunteer. Besides giving back to your community, making a difference in people’s lives, and forming friendships with fellow volunteers, it’s a great way to build your resume and to gain experience for scholarship applications. You might also consider doing something that could add specific, valuable experience to your resume.

Apply for scholarships – If there ever was a time to apply, it’s now! You don’t have to spend the entire break applying for scholarships, but even if you devote a few hours to your scholarship applications, it’ll make a world of difference.

Ultimately, your break is yours. Take the time to relax and catch your breath! But don’t forget to remain productive; it’ll make it easier to transition back in the springtime. Until then, happy holidays!

UShadow Program: A Day in the Life

By Marian Li, Toppel Peer Advisor

Setting up a job shadowing experience can be daunting and confusing, especially if you don’t yet have the connections with employers in your field of interest. Job shadowing is a career exploration activity that offers an opportunity to spend time with a professional currently working in a person’s career field of interest. Lucky for you, the Toppel Career Center does all this planning and provides a contact and introduction for you! The University of Miami UShadow program provides students the unique opportunity to connect with a knowledgeable alumni/employer hosts and investigate a potential career field in our local community through a typical workday.

I personally, had the chance to participate in the UShadow twice, both this year as well as last. A little background about me, I’m a junior majoring in Health Science Business Administration. Yeah I know, it’s a mouthful and somewhat difficult of an industry to enter without any help. This year, I had the opportunity to shadow the Clinical Resource Coordinator at Jackson Memorial Systems. The day started off with a tour of the building and introductions to her staff. Right as we were about to head to her office, the hospital had a fire drill; prompting more introductions to other hospital administrators my host hadn’t planned on, life takes you in funny directions. Originally the day was supposed to be focused on the administrative aspect of healthcare, but during the 30-minute drill, I had the chance to pick the minds of many practitioners and their thoughts regarding profit versus non-profit institutes. This is one of the many benefits of shadowing, at the end of your experience, you hear more than one story of how people got to where they are – which in my opinion, is the most enriching part of meeting people.

Every now and then, as students, we lose sight of the long-term goal we have post-graduation: a job we love. Having a chance to speak with someone in a position I hope to be in within the next 10 years was a motivation to work towards what I wanted. Through UShadow, not only do you gain insight, but you also gain a mentor to aid you through your journey. My host, an alumni of the university, and I connected while reminiscing about our time at UM which made conversation flow naturally, and I got to learn more about her. The most important advice I took from my experience was that, no matter what industry, networking is what sets candidates apart, and what better way to network than through a day shadowing!  

The UShadow program is open to all University of Miami students who are in good academic standing with the University and are classified as sophomores or juniors at the University of Miami. Students should also review the timeline of events to ensure they can attend one of the Pre-Departure Orientations. Students from all majors are encouraged to participate! Be sure to check out Toppel’s noteworthy program!

UShadow: Talia's Day in the Life of a...

By Talia Weintraub

UShadow has provided me with an enlightening experience in my continuing search for a profession that best suits my interests. I have been considering many possible careers paths, such as that of a nurse practitioner, a speech-language pathologist, and an industrial organizational psychologist. When I learned about the UShadow program offered by the Toppel Career Center as a chance to obtain a deeper understanding of one of these careers, I jumped at the chance. I was assigned to shadow a speech-language pathologist from the University of Miami Hospital. A speech-language pathologist, in short, is a highly-trained professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty with speech, language, or swallowing. I really benefited from my UShadow experience and highly recommend the program for any student interested in learning more about a particular profession. Applying to the UShadow Program can help students gain a better grasp of what their career of interest may entail.

            I started my day of shadowing at 8:30am in the Mailman Center at the University of Miami Hospital, where I met the speech pathologist I would be shadowing for the day. We briefly discussed her type of work as we waited for her first patient of the day, expected at 9:00am. The patient was a young boy of about 10 years of age needing an evaluation for potential speech problems. I observed the evaluation and watched the speech-language pathologist at work with the child, flipping through booklets and asking the child to answer questions about and describe what was occurring in a variety of pictures.

            After the child left with his parents, my UShadow host took the time to answer all of my questions about the field of speech-language pathology, such as why she selected this type of work, opportunities for higher earnings in this field, the possibility of running your own business, and what opportunities exist for part-time work. 

I am quite thankful for the UShadow Experience organized by the Toppel Career Center, as the knowledge gained from my one-on-one time conversing with the speech pathologist could not be matched by any article, blog, or video posted online about the field of speech pathology. Shadowing a speech-language pathologist has helped me to realize that I would like a career that involves a bit more physical activity and more potential for higher earnings. A career as either a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist would be a better fit, and I would still have the option of working with patients in a hospital setting. I highly encourage anyone who is curious to learn more about potential career paths to take advantage of this opportunity. Through the program, I have gained a unique, insightful perspective that has helped me figure out my desired lifestyle and professional ambitions.