Northwestern University Athletics
NU for Life's Professional Prep Bootcamp Prepares 'Cats for Life After Sports
8/11/2015 9:00:00 AM | General, David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program
EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the last three years, the NU For Life program has been helping Northwestern student-athletes prepare to make the jump from college to the professional world. From networking events and professional workshops to employer information sessions and alumni mentoring, student-athletes have many opportunities to enhance their professional skills and prepare for life off the field.
This summer, 22 student-athletes took part in Professional Prep Bootcamp, an optional seven-week summer course aimed at arming them with needed skills and maximizing their potential in their hunt for an internship and, eventually, a post-graduate career. This was the second consecutive summer in which NU for Life has held Professional Prep Bootcamp.
Each week, the bootcamp focuses on specific learning objectives and includes at least one in-class speaker discussing their experiences and offering advice. The bootcamp also included numerous events designed to provide real world professional experience.
"We want to put an emphasis on getting student-athletes practical experience to help them be successful professionally," said Scott Koenning, assistant director of career enhancement and employer relations. "A big piece of that is interview skills and a great way for them to gain experience interviewing is through mock interviews."
The mock interviews, which were held at ESP Properties' office in downtown Chicago, were just one of many hands-on experiences bootcampers were exposed to. Other sessions focused on networking with Northwestern alums at a mocktail hour, gleaning knowledge from recent Wildcat alums at career-focused breakout sessions and learning practical ways to manage fear in the internship/job search.
The bootcamp concluded with a session that included reflection, feedback and goal-setting exercises for future success.
"This [Professional Prep Bootcamp] made me much more confident in all aspects of career building, but specifically with networking" said former volleyball player Kelly Boutelle. "I used to be very nervous, but through this I learned that [other professionals] are just people too, and they are all open and willing to talk to us.
This summer, 22 student-athletes took part in Professional Prep Bootcamp, an optional seven-week summer course aimed at arming them with needed skills and maximizing their potential in their hunt for an internship and, eventually, a post-graduate career. This was the second consecutive summer in which NU for Life has held Professional Prep Bootcamp.
Each week, the bootcamp focuses on specific learning objectives and includes at least one in-class speaker discussing their experiences and offering advice. The bootcamp also included numerous events designed to provide real world professional experience.
"We want to put an emphasis on getting student-athletes practical experience to help them be successful professionally," said Scott Koenning, assistant director of career enhancement and employer relations. "A big piece of that is interview skills and a great way for them to gain experience interviewing is through mock interviews."
The mock interviews, which were held at ESP Properties' office in downtown Chicago, were just one of many hands-on experiences bootcampers were exposed to. Other sessions focused on networking with Northwestern alums at a mocktail hour, gleaning knowledge from recent Wildcat alums at career-focused breakout sessions and learning practical ways to manage fear in the internship/job search.
The bootcamp concluded with a session that included reflection, feedback and goal-setting exercises for future success.
"This [Professional Prep Bootcamp] made me much more confident in all aspects of career building, but specifically with networking" said former volleyball player Kelly Boutelle. "I used to be very nervous, but through this I learned that [other professionals] are just people too, and they are all open and willing to talk to us.
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