I just want to celebrate!
This next week marks the 35th anniversary of my tenure at CSUS! After completing my BA in Psychology, I worked for the California Employment Development Department as an Employment Development Officer and an Employment and Claims Assistant from 1974 to 1978.
The Vietnam War was nearing its end and many of the job seekers I served were Veterans. I learned to translate skills from military to civilian; I worked as the EDD liaison with the California Department of Rehabilitation; I learned the art of job development and employer relations; and most of all I learned how to get people jobs.
In May of 1978, I became the Career Counselor for the School of Business and the School of Engineering at CSU Sacramento. (Later becoming colleges - College of Engineering and Computer Science). I was also responsible for serving students with disabilities. I worked in these capacities for seven years in the CSUS Career Center. The scope of my responsibility was broad and gave me an opportunity to learn and grow in amazing ways. Like many CSUS students I completed my MA (in Social Science with a Concentration in Economics) working full time.
In 1984 I joined the College of Engineering and Computer Science, as the Assistant to the Dean for Career Services. When no one understood that title, I became the Director of Career Services for the College.
I started my career in a field where things happened at a snail’s pace and then participated in defining one that depends significantly on technology - making information about jobs and careers available 24/7. If candidates do not have information instantly, opportunities are lost forever.
At EDD I was on the front end of attempts to automate job listings for job seekers in the State of California. Those early attempts at automating job services in the 1970’s prepared me for when I moved to the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Computer science students regularly told me I should "computerize" job listings and career services. My answer was always "Great - tell me how to do that!" And I would invariably end up with a proposal - that turned into a project - that became a system - that helped kids get jobs.
Since my arrival in the College, I have sponsored more than 40 year-long senior and master level projects that drive my entire operation. I could not deliver services without the contributions of countless teams of students who have delivered countless lines of code over the years. And I could not deliver services without the financial support of over 1000 companies, and the able assistance of dozens of student assistants over the 28 year that I have been here.
I could also not deliver services were it not for my incredible web master of 15 years - Richard Mark. He is amazing! Richard makes the ECS Career Services web site accessible and easily navigable. He tackles problems and keeps us up and running 24/7.
In 2009, a student in mechanical engineering in one of my career planning classes informed me that he could not afford my textbook, The Ultimate Career Planning Manual for Engineers and Computer Scientists. I was stunned and sobered.
The recession was on with a vengance and money was tight for students. Things were tight for a lot of people in this state and in this country... I started writing again and posted my current e-book, The Serious Job Seeker, free online. This is one of the most liberating things I have ever done. I no longer had to worry about becoming obsolete and I could help people who needed help when I needed to sleep. (Back when my home phone number was listed, I used to get phone calls from frantic students late at night when they had interviews or job offers to considered and had "just one quick question" that took an hour to answer).
The SeriousJobSeeker will hit a momentous milestone this week - 100,000 pageviews. According to Google stat tracking - 5650 viewers use The Serious Job Seeker from all over the world - US, Canada, Ukraine, UK, China, India, Australia, Malaysia, Germany, and Nigeria - monthly. The top referral source is Google.com and the number one search - no surprise - "Is that Salary Negotiable".
My job is amazing! Each day I am grateful for the many people who have allowed me to guide them through the process of planning and managing their careers.
I just want to say thank you!
Cici
