It is, to be sure, the wrong response. The benefits of intellectualism do not depend on their application to what people call “the real world.” But how could my father not be haunted by questions of practicality when he is paying $45,000 a year for his son’s education? For my father and many parents like him, there is an expectation that Princeton will both cultivate our minds and prepare us for professional success. And probably because the parents pay the bills, Princeton sets out at least ostensibly to meet these expectations.
There can be no doubt that we receive one of the finest educations in the world here. Yet with all due respect to the Office of Career Services, 36 University Place has little to do with getting our feet in the doors of the careers to which we aspire. I think that there is a strong case for enhancing Career Services’ role on campus, and I think that as a start, our interactions with them should be more than just scouring through TigerTracks.
When choosing classes, we are required to meet with our academic advisers before we can actually register. The point of having academic advisers is an obvious one: They have the experience to speak knowledgeably about different courses of study and can guide us accordingly. We’d probably be fine without academic advisers — and maybe it’s just that I’m lucky enough to have a great one — but I think that it is nice not to have to go through our academic experience completely alone.
If it were feasible, I would suggest that each student have his or her own career advisor. I know, however, that the math just doesn’t work out, with nearly 5,000 undergrads to account for. So let us aim a little lower.
Every fall, freshmen — and perhaps sophomores — should be required to make one appointment with Career Services to talk about their potential career options. It would be like an orientation for freshmen to learn about what Career Services can offer them in their time at Princeton; hopefully, it would see them developing a comfort and interest in returning to 36 University Place for help later on. I should note that I do not include juniors and seniors in this requirement because the relationship I am looking to promote would either already exist from the freshman and sophomore meetings or would just be a hassle for those who have, for whatever reason, determined that the meetings are not helpful.
Knowing the general disposition of Princeton students, I am sure that some will say that at 18 years old, freshmen don’t need to be hand-held through every part of their lives. “Stop whining. Grow up. Find something on TigerTracks. I have a thesis to write.”
Or perhaps they will think that by increasing the scope of advising at Princeton, we run the risk of a slippery slope of compulsory advising for every facet of campus life, like eating clubs or study abroad. Yet I would respond by pointing out that Career Services is very clearly a different case from the others.
I may see a purpose in reading Parmenides that my father probably doesn’t, but I don’t believe that Parmenides and making informed decisions about our future professional lives are mutually exclusive. We shouldn’t think that career planning compromises the quality of our intellectual pursuits. And to that extent, I think that we can bolster Career Services’ role on campus, if only by forcing eager freshmen to give a thought to what they might do after their time here is up.
An invigorated Career Services will not translate to better job opportunities, just as good academic advising does not necessarily translate to better grades. But for what it’s worth, job searches and course selection — not to mention academic issues in general — are unfamiliar territory, at least for freshmen, and lead to a wide assortment of successes and failures. In the face of the failures one may suffer along the way, it’s nice to know that you have someone on your team who’s trying to help you to the best of his or her ability. An early relationship with Career Services may not get you the job of your dreams, but it is likely that it will make the process of job searches (both summer and post-graduate) more enjoyable — or at the very least, less lonely.
Peter Zakin is a sophomore from New York, N.Y. He can be reached at pzakin@princeton.edu.
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