Twists and Turns
Career paths often go in unexpected directions — and the college is embracing those winding roads in its approach to professional preparation
Fredley Sylvain knew what kind of job he wanted. But he wasn’t sure it was possible.
He arrived at UF in 2017 uncertain about his eventual career path. In the time since, he had changed his major from computer science to biology, thinking he would pursue a career in medicine. During his senior year at UF, though, he found himself feeling the pull of a long-held passion.
“I always wanted to write,” Sylvain said. “I remember being in second grade, thinking I’d grow up to be a writer. But I never thought it would be a viable career.”
He never let go of what excited him about writing: the chance to indulge his creativity and constantly learn new things. As his time to enter the workforce approached, he still couldn’t shake it.
“I realized I wanted to shift my focus from medicine to writing, but I didn’t know what to do to market myself for those types of positions,” he said. “How would a company look at me, a biology student, and see a good candidate?”
The college was ready to answer his questions. In recent years, Dean David E. Richardson has put a special emphasis on preparing students for a competitive modern workforce with ever-shifting demands. The college has developed new experiential learning offerings, expanded internship opportunities, and strengthened connections with the global network of CLAS alumni working in areas throughout the economy.
Students say it’s so hard to find a job; companies say it’s so hard to find good candidates. This is the ultimate talent matchmaking opportunity.
– Mike Wachholz (Economics ’91, JD ’95)
At the forefront of these efforts is Beyond120, the college’s signature professional development and experiential learning program. After Sylvain found out about Beyond120 and its career coaching sessions, he began meeting with the program’s director, Ryan Braun. Sylvain learned about electives he could take that were relevant to his career goals, and he worked to prepare his resume to highlight the skills that were most pertinent to his desired jobs.
It turned out that a CLAS alumnus was looking for someone with just Sylvain’s talents. Mike Wachholz (Economics ’91, JD ’95), CEO of the managed service provider Geometric Results, Inc., needed a business writer to amplify the company’s voice and presence.
A few months after graduating, Sylvain is savoring the role as he learns more about a new industry and tells the company’s story in engaging ways.
“If you believe you can do the work, you just need to learn how to market yourself and show that you’re competent,” he said. “You can make an opportunity out of whatever you put your mind to.”
Engaging with Beyond120 isn’t just valuable for the students: For Wachholz, his connection to the program puts him in a prime position to identify great talent. “Students say it’s so hard to find a job; companies say it’s so hard to find good candidates. This is the ultimate talent matchmaking opportunity,” said Wachholz, who is also a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council in CLAS.
While the Gator Nation already offers a strong network of alumni for students to draw upon, Wachholz sees CLAS taking the lead to formalize and streamline those connections. “When I first really understood what the dean was angling at with the purpose of Beyond120, it resonated with me as a former student, alumnus and now employer,” he said. “Too bad it didn’t exist when I was there.”
By developing transferrable skills like communication and teamwork, CLAS is propelling students to contribute from day one on a job, Wachholz said. “As an employer, I find that typically recent graduates need time to ramp up and gain experience to provide value to a business,” he said. “What the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is doing really accelerates that.”
The crux of the college’s approach to professional development is embracing the flexibility, fluidity and freedom inherent in a liberal arts and sciences education while providing concrete pathways for students to explore their options. The approach imparts the adaptability necessary to thrive in today’s workforce while empowering them to pursue their passions — and find new ones.
“Talented, driven students can feel a lot of pressure to have it all figured out in four years — and I felt the same way when I was in their shoes,” said Domonique Worship, a CLAS alumna (Political Science ’11) and also a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council who works as a diversity and inclusion executive and a career and leadership development coach. The pressure to succeed can cause students to shy away from opportunities that don’t fit the trajectory they’ve already set out for themselves.
The college is working to shift that expectation. “It might be in those experiences that you uncover something that you would never have found otherwise. This is a time for you to experiment and explore,” Worship said. During her own time at CLAS, she at first hesitated to study abroad, not seeing the immediate applicability to her future career. But her travels to Mexico ended up giving her coursework “new life and meaning” that launched her on the path toward working in international human rights.
Worship has put her perspective into action by providing internships through Beyond120 at her career consulting business. One of those interns was Harper Self, a history and Spanish major who hopes to go to law school. Going into the internship, she had no prior experience with career coaching— but she quickly saw how the skills she had developed in CLAS could contribute to the business.
“From Domonique, I learned that communication and teamwork are the most transferrable skills you can have,” Self said. She also participated in other Beyond120 opportunities, such as an excursion to London in 2020, where participants visited an array of workplaces and engaged with alumni in a variety of fields. She encourages other students to take part.
“You’re going to find a ton of opportunities to get involved in — so many career paths you never thought possible,” Self said. “Don’t be afraid to get involved with something you haven’t considered before.”
While the broad applicability of a liberal arts and sciences education can sometimes seem overwhelming, a little guidance and real-world experience can turn that adaptability into a great asset.
“The breadth of the liberal arts degree is also the beauty of the degree,” Wachholz said.
This story appears in the fall 2021 issue of Ytori magazine. Read more stories from the issue.
