Penn State LSER

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OUR MAJOR IS PARTICULARLY STUDENT FOCUSED.
WE'RE A VERY BIG UNIVERSITY,
BUT I THINK OUR STUDENTS OVER THE YEARS HAVE FOUND
THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS KIND OF A COLLEGE WITHIN A COLLEGE.
Narrator: ONE OF THE BEST THINGS
ABOUT A LABOR STUDIES AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS MAJOR
AT PENN STATE,
IS THAT IT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF CAREERS.
OUR STUDENTS FIND JOBS IN HUMAN RESOURCES,
WITH THE GOVERNMENT, WITH UNIONS, WITH NON-PROFITS -
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
I THINK IT'S GREAT WITH IT BEING SMALL.
YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSORS,
YOUR PROFESSORS GET TO KNOW YOU.
THEY ARE ON A FIRST-NAME BASIS WITH YOU,
AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT WAS IF I EVER HAD A QUESTION,
IF I EVER HAD A PROBLEM,
I FELT I COULD ALWAYS WALK INTO A PROFESSOR'S OFFICE AND SAY,
"HEY, THIS IS A QUESTION I HAVE."
AND I KNEW HE WOULD KNOW MY NAME, OR SHE WOULD KNOW MY NAME,
AND IT'S JUST A COMFORTABLE FEELING
KNOWING THAT YOU COULD REALLY REACH OUT TO A PROFESSOR
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANYTHING.
ANOTHER REAL POSITIVE THING ABOUT OUR PROGRAM
IS THAT FOR MOST STUDENTS
THERE'S A JOB AT THE END OF THE FOUR YEARS,
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OUR PROGRAM PREPARES STUDENTS
FOR A RANGE OF DIFFERENT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.
FOR ME, I SEE HUMAN RESOURCES AS A PROFESSION.
IT'S NOT A JOB, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I DO.
IT'S KIND OF WHO I AM.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, I KNOW THAT WHAT I DO EVERY DAY
MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES
WITH HOW WE PAY THEM, HOW WE TREAT THEM.
SO, FOR ME, THERE'S NOTHING MORE THAT I WANT TO DO
THAN BE IN HUMAN RESOURCES.
I LOVE WHAT I DO EVERY DAY.
THESE STUDENTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO NETWORK WITH FORTUNE 500
VP'S OF HUMAN RESOURCES,
GENERAL COUNSELS, CEO'S,
AND THIS PROGRAM IS CONSTANTLY BRINGING PEOPLE THROUGH.
THESE STUDENTS GET TO MEET THEM, INTERACT WITH THEM,
UNDERSTAND THEIR STORIES, HOW THEY BECAME SUCCESSFUL.
RESUMES ARE EXCHANGED, BUSINESS CARDS ARE EXCHANGED,
AND, HOPEFULLY, RELATIONSHIPS ARE FORGED THROUGH THAT.
Narrator: EVERY YEAR,
PENN STATE LABOR STUDIES AND EMPLOYMENT RELATION'S STUDENTS
VISIT ALUMNI JOB SITES.
LSER STUDENTS HAVE TRAVELED TO NEW YORK CITY, WASHINGTON D.C.,
CLEVELAND, PITTSBURGH, PHILADELPHIA.
THEY'VE MET WITH PENN STATE ALUMNI
WORKING WITH THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES,
THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS, THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD,
PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS,
PLUS LAW FIRMS, MANUFACTURING PLANTS, HOSPITALS, AND MORE.
INTERNSHIPS ARE A VITAL PART
OF A PENN STATE LSER STUDENT'S COLLEGE EXPERIENCE.
AND ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE GIVES STUDENTS A REAL SENSE
OF WHAT A CAREER IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELD IS LIKE.
INTERNSHIPS ALSO MAKE STUDENTS MORE COMPETITIVE
WHEN SEARCHING FOR A JOB AFTER GRADUATION.
AS A STUDENT OF, LER I WAS INVOLVED IN THE "SLER,"
THAT'S WHAT WE CALL IT,
WHICH IS THE SOCIETY
OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS.
WE HAD VARIOUS ALUMNI COME IN AND TALK TO US
ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT WE COULD DO ONCE WE GRADUATED,
AND WHAT WERE THEY DOING.
THERE'S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM.
I WAS ACTUALLY THE VICE PRESIDENT
OF THE SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT,
WHICH IS AFFILIATED PROFESSIONALLY
WITH A NATIONAL CHAPTER.
AND THROUGH THAT EXPERIENCE,
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO NOT ONLY NETWORK WITH PROFESSIONALS,
BUT GROW AS A FUTURE PROFESSIONAL
IN HUMAN RESOURCES.
WITH THIS MAJOR,
YOU'RE REALLY IMPACTING WHAT PEOPLE DO
AT LEAST HALF THEIR WAKING HOURS EVERY DAY.
EVERYBODY WORKS.
SO THE ISSUES YOU DEAL WITH IN THIS FIELD
DIRECTLY IMPACT PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES
IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE,
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT MAKES IT EXCITING AND MEANINGFUL.
I WOULD ABSOLUTELY SAY
THAT I AM GRATEFUL TO PENN STATE'S LER DEPARTMENT
BECAUSE I THINK IT PREPARED ME
TO HAVE A VERY EXCITING CAREER PATH.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME
IN THE JOB THAT I SIT IN.
TO ME, WHAT IS SO ATTRACTIVE ABOUT THE LER DEGREE
IS THAT YOU GET THIS BROAD-BASED LIBERAL ARTS APPROACH,
WHERE YOU'RE REALLY BECOMING AN EDUCATED PERSON,
WHICH I THINK IS A HUGE PART OF GOING TO COLLEGE -
IT'S NOT JUST ALL ABOUT THE CAREER.
BUT YOU ALSO GET THIS SET OF SKILLS, THIS CAREER ORIENTATION
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU TYPICALLY GET
FROM A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION.
AND IT'S THE COMBINATION OF THAT TWO,
THE MARRIAGE OF THOSE TWO PIECES OF IT,
THAT I THINK MAKES THE LER PROGRAM
SO UNIQUE AND SO WORTHWHILE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
EVERY DAY IN THE UNITED STATES,
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE GET UP AND THEY GO TO WORK,
OVER A BILLION PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
GET UP AND THEY GO TO WORK,
AND SOME OF THE CRAZIEST, MOST INTERESTING,
MOST BIZARRE THINGS HAPPEN WHEN THEY'RE AT WORK.
THIS MAJOR IS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THOSE DYNAMICS
WITH AN EYE TO MAKING THEM WORK BETTER.
I THINK ANYONE WHO TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FIELD
WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT INTERESTS THEM,
SOMETHING THAT SPARKS THEIR OWN PASSIONS.
AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING
THAT ATTRACTS YOU, THAT GRABS YOU,
AND I DON'T THINK YOU'LL BE DISAPPOINTED.
WE ARE!
L-E-R!