Chats connect Education alumni and graduate students
Earning an advanced degree is challenging but finding employment after graduation can be equally uncertain and difficult for graduate students.
The Education Graduate Students Association (EGSA) has introduced virtual alumni chats for their colleagues to provide a glimpse into the professional trajectories of Western Education alumni.
Each month, graduate students will learn about the different career paths that Education alumni have pursued while encouraging alumni engagement with the Faculty of Education.
“Our faculty is physically isolated from the main campus where a lot of resources about career development are located,” said EGSA coordinator, Rajender Singh. “Students will hear stories of hope and courage that our alumni have demonstrated during their professional careers. These insightful conversations will form the bedrock of constructive professional and personal development for our community.”
The EGSA is planning to host alumni who work in diverse fields, such as research, teaching, policy, non-governmental organizations, and the for-profit sectors as well as entrepreneurs, to share their journeys with our community. Singh added it will be equally valuable for graduate students to listen and learn from the alumni working in contemporary and unconventional settings.
Employment prospects after graduation can be a cause of distress for many graduate students. It doesn’t matter whether it’s inside or outside academia, students find it difficult to navigate the uncharted trajectories of graduate employment , said Singh.
“It’s definitely an area of grave concern within the broader graduate community, especially within social sciences and humanities,” said Singh. “It gets exacerbated with the increasingly uncertain nature of employment within academia, and also due to the lack of exposure to the opportunities beyond academia.”
The EGSA’s idea to initiate alumni chats is based on the collective need felt within the graduate community over the years.
“We have been deliberating since past few months about the most appropriate option to meet our community’s demand of networking and professional development opportunities,” said Singh. “The alumni chats can surely open doors for professional growth and meaningful engagements at multiple levels.”
EGSA plans to host alumni graduated from different arcs of our faculty, and at different points in their respective careers.
“We hope to strengthen our education community at Western through listening to the stories of hope, toil, and excellence embedded in the personal and professional trajectories of our alumni.”
