Last week, I finally made my first trip to UCLA’s Career Center.

I have been hearing about the Career Center even before I started my freshman year. During orientation I went to a presentation about the center and the various services they offer to students. Info on the center didn’t stop then – I continued to hear things about our fantastic Career Center, the resume help, the internship connections, the general friendly vibe. And every time the Career Center was mentioned to me during my first or second year, I was always strongly advised to go go go check the place out. I heard lots of stories from regretful former students who hadn’t utilized the center’s services until the spring quarter of their senior year.

But I had a feeling I wasn’t really like the rest of those students. Sure, I knew I wanted to have a career someday, but I was confident that I would figure it out and that any questions I had about the job world could be easily answered after I asked my mom. I was wrong. And it took me until the end of my sophomore year to realize it.

The appointment I made was for a resume critique (the center also helps you with stuff like preparing for an interview or getting advice on landing internships). I scheduled an appointment that morning using BruinView, an online service available for current UCLA students to help you connect with the Career Center. The meeting itself was great. My counselor was super helpful – she gave me pointers on how to improve my resume, what kinds of stuff I should be putting on applications, and how I should go about applying for internships. As I was leaving she made sure I got a Career Center handbook (that they update frequently) with loads of information like how to write cover letters or what protocol to follow when following up after an interview.

I know now that the Career Center has a ton of really good stuff, so I will definitely be making more trips down there. No offense, Mom, but the folks at the Career Center really know what they are talking about.