Do you know what STEP and SCEP are?

STEP – Student Temporary Employment Program
SCEP – Student Career Experience Program

STEP positions are part-time paid federal positions that do not have to be related to your major. SCEP positions are a 640 hour commitment to a position that is related to your major that allows the federal government to hire you directly after you complete your service.

These are great ways into the federal government and are often not posted on usajobs.gov. Go to http://www.makingthedifference.org/federalinternships/employmentprograms.shtml for more information.

Posted by Barbara Diehl, WCNR Career Center Liaison

Sometimes History majors find themselves wondering "What can I do with my major if I don't go to law school or teach in a school?" Well the opportunities are unfortunately quite broad. Many organizations just want to know you have a degree but are less concerned about what it is, so don't feel trapped by your major. Common things that History majors do however are:

• Go to work for the Federal Government. People who have studied history often do well in government because they have studied it. Many federal jobs have "Intern" programs that are actually entry level positions. A great website to get ideas and see how to apply for these is http://www.makingthedifference.org/index.shtml Potential positions: Management, Legal Assistant, Social Security Administrator, Program Director, Public Affairs Assistant
• Social Change Organizations and NGOs. These look for people to manage programs, write grants, raise money for projects, and support their mission.
• Business. The easiest way to get into the business world is through Management Training Programs that recruit heavily for fresh talent. Some positions are broad and take you through all aspects of the business such as sales, marketing, human resources, etc and then have you managing other people. They pretty much train you. You can then apply for other positions within their company as you see the different areas of the business.

Just a few ideas but the possibilities really depend on the person, not the major. Internships are a great way to get experience and probably the best way to make connections. Like everything else it is who you know…get to know employers by interning with them.

Wendy Rose, Career Center Liaison to the College of Liberal Arts