General

Category: General

Career Spotlight: Environmental Organizations

If asked to name a concern of global importance, many Lawrence students would cite the changing climate and its impact on the environment. Some go so far as to declare environmental justice as their desired career path. In fact, some past Lawrentians have already done so, choosing to turn their passion for the improving the environment into a career, by working for an environmental organization. 

While environmental organizations may occasionally be a private company or corporation, most of the time, such entities are part of local, state or federal government, or they may be a non-governmental organization (NGO), or an intergovernmental organization.  In addition to climate change, other environmental issues they focus on include pollution, waste, resource depletion and human overpopulation.

In the United States, the primary federal government agencies tasked with serving and protecting the environment include the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.  Most states have their own versions of some of these agencies as well. 

The list of NGO’s in the United States and around the world committed to environmental protection is too long to list, but you have likely heard of many of the larger ones, including the Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Greenpeace. 

All of these government agencies and NGO’s hire interns, so if you are looking for a place to get hands-on experience in protecting the environment and fighting climate change, consider a summer internship for such an agency or organization.  Please note that government agencies hire their summer interns very early, so you should start looking as early as this fall for internships in the summer of 2023.

Another great way to get experience in this area is by joining one of the many Lawrence environmental clubs and organizations, some of which are Greenfire, the Lawrence University Environmental Organization, the LUCC Sustainability Committee and the Sustainable Lawrence University Garden (SLUG)

Join the LU Business Networking Club

We’ve discussed how vital it is to meet new people, network, and form relationships with individuals in the business world in previous newsletters. However, having to reach out to someone you don’t know and ask them questions might be really awkward. What if they don’t want to be bothered? What if they think that we are just wasting their time?

To solve this issue, a group of students came together and decided to create the Lawrence University Business Networking Club. Every week, they attempt to bring a speaker who is eager to answer any questions from students. “The idea is to have a typical, casual chat with the guests, in which members can ask any questions they want, even if they aren’t immediately linked to the guest’s field of expertise” (Oliver De Croock, Vice-President of the LUBNC). When they are not able to connect with a guest in time for their weekly meeting, they use that time to learn from each other and share information to help each other succeed.

In the past two months, Oliver says “We were able to connect with a diverse spectrum of outstanding people from a variety of businesses. Some of them were so thrilled with the idea that they opted to drive hours to meet with us in person!”

A list of some of their previous guests:

  • Kazuma Noguchi, Restructuring Analyst
  • Harry Rivas, Consulting
  • Colling McCanna, Marketing
  • Bethany Larsen, Investment Banking
  • Martin Alwin, Analyst
  • Jon Anfinrud, Regional Executive – Commercial Banking

“Every single visitor that came was able to add incredible value and insight, providing us with legitimate ideas that we could instantly implement. They also offered to be a referral for anyone who was there if they were interested in an internship or a professional position with the firm for which they worked”. In the future, they intend to bring in even more guests, including people with more experience in other industries, entrepreneurs, as well as people with Human Resources and recruiting experience, to help the students understand more about what recruiters are looking for and to receive tips and advice on how to use platforms like LinkedIn or Handshake to jumpstart their careers and gain a competitive edge over other people.

How to JOIN and EXPECTATIONS

“As students, we all have busy schedules, and there is always something that we need to get done. If you opt to join our club, we will require you to invest one hour every week to actively participate in meetings, ask questions, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. We already spend too much time in class, so the idea here is to establish a conversation in which anybody can enter at any moment, with any sort of question, even if it is not directly linked to the guest’s field of expertise”.

If you would like to join, please send an email to oliver.decroock@lawrence.edu explaining what industry you are interested in and why (this will help them reach out to guests that could be interesting for you).

Oliver De Croock ’24, Student-Athlete at Lawrence University majoring in Economics and Career Peer Educator. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Employers Interested in Hiring DACA Students

Below is a list of employers who indicated, as part of a recruitment survey conducted in 2015 by Penn and UCLA, that they would like to be included on a list of those specifically interested in hiring DACA students. The list is broken down by industry. The survey was conducted again in 2019 by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and those employers are listed in italics below:

Accounting

Biomedical Products/Pharmaceuticals

Communications (Media, Entertainment, Advertising, PR)

Consulting

Education

Financial Services & Insurance

Government

Healthcare

Hospitality/Leisure/Sports

 Legal Services

 

Non-Profits

Other

Recruiting/Staffing

Technology

Source: Career Services, U. of Pennsylvania

Finding referrals using LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a very useful tool if used the right way! In this short, 1 minute video, I explain a simple trick that not a lot of people know about that you can use to find people that are in a company that you are interested in, or that have the job you would like to have in the future. The chances of you getting hired exponentially increase if you have someone as a referral. So, making this step could be the difference between you getting the job or not!

If you would like to learn more about using LinkedIn to its full potential to make more connections, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me (oliver.decroock@lawrence.edu) or Grace Kutney (grace.kutney@lawrence.edu).

Oliver De Croock ’24, Student-Athlete at Lawrence University majoring in Economics and Career Peer Educator. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Career Spotlight: Computational Scientists

Adapted from pennstateuniversity.edu and energy.gov 

A computational scientist is someone who uses scientific computing in applied disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, or the social sciences to analyze, clean up and calibrate large amounts of data and create computer models or simulations to create artificial data to solve problems and inform decisions. Because computational scientists primarily work with data, models, and simulations, they can be scientists, statisticians, applied mathematicians or engineers. 

Job Duties  

Computational Scientists work primarily with research. Their job duties primarily involve 

  • Analyzing and interpreting data  
  • Applying computer science procedures to a variety of situations and recommending potential solutions 
  • Designing experiments and developing algorithms  
  • Identifying relationships and trends or any factors that could affect the results of research 
  • Coordinating with research faculty and other technical team members for needs assessment and to accomplish individual project and/or larger organizational goals 
  • Co-authoring papers, proposals, presentations and reports  
  • Maintaining external research collaborations 

Later into one’s career, computational scientists may take on more managerial and mentorship roles as they become in charge of projects and mentor others like grad students in academic settings or new hires in tech companies.  

Working Conditions 

Computational scientists are typically researchers at academic universities, national labs and tech companies because data analysis, creating computational models and simulations are all skills that can be easily used in multiple disciplines. Often, they will need to work with in academically or professionally diverse teams and communicate clearly with researchers from their own or other institutions or clients and executives with non-technical backgrounds if they want to talk about their results. When working for academia or in national laboratories, it may be necessary to travel to research conferences to present their research.  

Education and Training  

Depending on the work, the education requirements vary from a bachelor’s degree to a PhD in disciplines related to what you are applying for. For example, jobs that focus on modeling Earth Systems might require a PhD in either Earth Sciences, Oceanography, Computer Science or any related field. However, jobs that need computational scientists because they need someone to facilitate deeper understanding or shorter time for research then, at the lower levels, a bachelor’s degree may do. Financial companies may want an Economics or financial background. However, prior experience is strongly recommended, even at entry levels for most jobs. 

Pay and Job Outlook 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer and Information Research Scientist jobs are expected to grow by 22% and their median salaries were $126,830 in May 2020. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $72,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $194,430 with the top three industries being software publishers, research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences and computer systems design and related services. 

More Information 

Here is our list of sources you can go through, if you would like to know more: 

Department of Energy’s Career Map on Computational Scientists 

Computing in Science and Engineering Article on How to Become One 

Tips for Preparing for your Non-Profit Career

Volunteer:

One of the best things you can do to bulk up your resume for a future career in Non-Profit work is volunteering. Volunteering is also a great way to figure out what causes you are passionate about and want to seek when you are applying for your future careers. Here at Lawrence, it is very easy to get involved with the Appleton community through volunteering. Lawrence’s GivePulse page has hundreds of opportunities for students to sign up for to get you started.

Ask your local community:

Also going along the lines of volunteering, asking around your local community to see what their needs are is also beneficial. You can hear about the local non-profits that they know, or even ones that offer remote internships or funded ones. Word of mouth is a great way to find out opportunities and exactly what your local community needs in a non-profit worker.

Search for summer internships:

Another great way to get your foot in the door of non-profit work is through summer internships! Lawrence’s Handshake page has a bunch of non-profit internships listed all throughout the year, and you can also check out websites such as Indeed.com and Internships.com to find others as well. Internships are a great way to get an in-depth experience of what it is like to work in a particular field.

Find causes you are passionate about:

The causes of a non-profit company could range anywhere from arts and music to diversity and inclusion. The possibilities really are endless on what kind of non-profit you see yourself working in, however, how do you choose just one? Through your volunteer work, asking your local community, and pursuing job and internship openings you should get a good idea on where exactly you want to end up. Try to find the cause that you are the most passionate about, and use that cause as a keyword when conducting your latest job or internship search.