By: Nick Santangelo

What do you want to do with your life? Figuring that out is part of being a College of Liberal Arts (CLA) student. But finding a career path that'll feel rewarding while also allowing you to support yourself can seem daunting. After all, there's a whole world of options out there!

To help students narrow it down, CLA's Professional Development team hosts a number of workshops, panels and networking events each semester. Their most recent event, held in partnership with the Global Studies Program, gave students a chance to network with employers with international career and internship opportunities.

As Professional Development's Anne Bayless told students who turned out for the Morgan Hall event last Tuesday, Temple University backyard is a hotbed for global employment openings that appeal to liberal arts students.

"In Philadelphia, we're really lucky," said Bayless, "because there are so many opportunities to have a global impact working for a local company."

To discover some of those opportunities, all students had to do was show up and ask questions. After some brief opening remarks from Bayless and other members from the college community, various employers rotated through the students' tables to pitch their companies and provide answers to whatever students were curious about. A few of the employers present included:

• HIAS Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that provides social services to refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers
• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace around the globe while nurturing societal change
• U.S. Commercial Service, the trade branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce that helps companies get involved in exporting to increase sales in global markets
• BPD International, a privately owned company delivering global logistics and transportation services
• Peace Corps, a nonprofit with the goal of promoting world peace and friendship abroad

For CLA students, these businesses are ripe with internship and career opportunities in roles like data analysis, social media marketing, program research and efficacy, and much more.

After a handful of scheduled employer rotations like this, Bayless opened the event up for students to approach any employers who hadn't made it to their table.

"This is how you learn about opportunities that are out there," said Bayless, and it's so important to connect and build those relationships!"

Missed the networking event but still interested in connecting with employers? Speak with the Professional Development team about linking up with employers who value your liberal arts background.