As a kid, Carina (Niedermier) Beck wanted to be a farmer.
On the plains near Lethbridge, Alberta, her family raised cattle, poultry, grain and oilseeds. She was paid to weed the garden and clean the barn. Her first "real" job was as at a local greenhouse.
But as family vacations and business trips usually included a visit to a local campus, Beck became fascinated with universities, largely through her parents' influence.
"They both impressed upon my brother and me the importance of hard work and advancing one's education," said Beck.
As an undergraduate and later graduate student at the University of Montana, Beck dreamed of being a college professor. She landed her first job in higher education in 1996 as director of Family and Graduate Housing at Montana State University, the alma mater of her dad, brother, cousin and the man who would become her husband. Today, she is director of MSU Career, Internship and Student Employment Services and she is also an MSU alumna, having earned her Ed.D. in 2007.
As director of Career, Internship and Student Employment Services, Beck oversees six employees and 20 student staff—many of whom, Beck proudly boasts, likely will go on to careers in human resources.
"Our job—and I say 'our' because I really see it as a team--is to connect students with a career planning model," said Beck. "Most people think (Career and Internship Services) is there just to place students, but that's a small portion of what we do. We also work with students to help them find how their major will fit with the world of work. We work with academic advisers, campus departments and students individually to really introduce them to the world of work and career planning."
Beck and her staff help employers recruit interns and employees. They also support MSU alumni who need career services. (Access to a jobs database is free; other services are fee-based.)
Beck says many employers, such as Boeing, the FBI, RightNow and Zoot, seek out MSU graduates year after year.
"(MSU students') work ethic is second to none," Beck says. "They know how to deliver, they don't come with a lot of baggage to the workplace, and they're willing to stay up late to get the project done. A lot of that is just the rural Montana work ethic. But even if our students come from an urban area, the sense is that it's cultivated here. It makes them tremendously interesting to employers."
The quality of those candidates has built MSU's annual career fairs into some of the largest in the West, with fall and spring events hosting around 150 employers.
"Hands down, the most helpful aspect of career services is their hard work with the career fair," said Austin Owens, an MSU senior in finance and economics. "In my four years at MSU, I have attended the career fair every year and seen growth in every instance. I think that any student can benefit from a career fair because it makes you aware of the endless employment possibilities that exist."
Owens said that students also benefit from resume critiques, mock interviews and the What Not to Wear event on proper workplace attire. Beck and her staff also initiated a popular annual Etiquette Dinner.
"Carina has a lot of enthusiasm and is an innovative thinker," said Allen Yarnell, MSU's Vice President of Student Affairs, who oversees Career and Internship Services. "She is very energetic, and committed to student success. She stays at the cutting edge, and she really has a sense of student needs."
Beck said her office recently shifted from the traditional career counseling model to career coaching—a more collaborative mindset that advocates long-term relationships with a student.
"It's a little more fluid, a little more relaxed than a counseling model," said Beck. "Career counseling looked from the current state to the past. Coaching asks, 'Where are you currently, and where do you want to go?' It resonates better with the new generation: We're not going to counsel you into something; we're going to coach you along the way. It's a lot more rewarding for the student and the career coach."
So what does a career coach to say in these trying economic times?
"We're not saying the sky is falling yet," said Beck. "There are still some industries that have growth, or are at least not contracting. And there are still some replacement needs out there. Remember, even if the national unemployment rate is 8 percent, that still means 92 percent employment. We're not ready to throw in the towel yet."
Beck advises students--as she does in good economic times, as well--to be mindful of their "brand," their whole package of academics, expertise and personality.
"Academic experience is critical, but employers wonder, 'What else can you offer?'" said Beck. "Students need to be able to work in teams and build relationships. Learning how to learn is so important in this knowledge economy. Collaborating with others is important. You bring something extra and intangible to the table."
For those who have been in the world of work a little longer, including those considering change, Beck advises looking deep within.
"Career change is... natural. A career isn't a 'job' and the two should never be confused. Yes, careers relate to how we see ourselves in the world of work and what we do for a living, but are also much more than that: our leisure activities, our role in society, our relationships with family, our ability to participate in organizations and groups that we find fulfilling, plus many other things," Beck said. "We recommend individuals consider their career-spectrum to include their vocation but also avocations or hobbies that might create meaning in their lives."
Personally, Beck says she loves the constant variety of her job, as well as the rewards and responsibility of working with students.
"When you are coaching or advising a student, listening and paying attention to the uniqueness of the situation and all the different variables—that makes it challenging but a whole lot of fun. It's very rewarding to see a student really take seriously the concept of building their brand and then going out there and pursuing a career path."
Career, Internship and Student Employment Services actively seeks support from the larger MSU network, including help with the Etiquette Dinner, people who can mentor a student, or those people outside of Bozeman who can field questions about their career, employer or city. Call (406) 994-4353.