By Joshua Qualls

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When students graduate from college, many employers will expect them to have some experience on top of a degree — this is exactly why the Stuckert Career Center exists.

Founded in October of 2000, the career center is named after UK alumnus James W. Stuckert for his philanthropic work. Stuckert retired as CEO of the national investment firm Hilliard Lyons in 2004 and donated hefty amounts of money to UK.

Though the career center does offer employment services, Seth Riker, the director of marketing and public relations for Academic and Career Exploration, said one of the organization’s main priorities is to help students take control of their own career paths and empower them with the resources to do it.

Riker said the Stuckert Career Center has increasingly worked with the College of Undergraduate Studies since last year to help students become leaders, develop organizational skills, and establish a sense of self.

Riker’s position was created earlier this year to help bridge the connection between pre-existing academic and career services on campus.

Riker said every student has access to the career center’s services, but the combined resources of the Stuckert Career Center and the College of Undergraduate Studies are especially advantageous for undecided students and those who just want to develop their careers.

“A lot of students think (those) who are undecided or undeclared are stagnant or they are wasting time,” Riker said. “Our philosophy couldn’t be any more different.”

The career center hosts weekly, monthly and yearly events geared toward educating students about their career options and the industries in which they can work. It hosts career fairs each semester, facilitating interviews with local and national employers, and creating an environment where students can develop a network of professional contacts.

Employers give informational sessions and attend panel discussions at the career center. The employers range from local companies like Big Ass Fans to national brands like Apple, as well as government agencies like the CIA.

The career center works with each college to provide internship opportunities to students and monitors their progress as well.

Stuckert Career Center’s career counselors help students explore specialties within their major, and teach them how to craft resumes and cover letters — tweaking them to catch an employer’s eye in any given field. These advisers also guide students as they explore opportunities to study or do research abroad, recommending when would be the best time to do it based on their academic schedule.

Riker said any students who are unhappy with their career path can use the career center to dip their toes into other opportunities through its various resources, but the career center ultimately wants to empower students to make confident decisions about their career choices. He said the career center uses the Myers-Briggs personality assessment to help students tap into their interests at a fundamental, personal level, but it does not use aptitude tests because their skills and interests could evolve over time.

“The goal is to prepare students for whatever their goals are,” Riker said. “We help them develop those goals, and then we help them get to where they want to go.”