Career Resources for First-Generation & Limited-Income Students 

Welcome to a team that values your journey and is committed to your success.

The WashU Center for Career Engagement is committed to supporting the unique experiences and success of our first-generation and limited-income students. We understand that many FLI students face additional obstacles when approaching processes related to exploring different careers, searching for internships/jobs, and applying to advanced-degree programs. Our goal is to provide the guidance and resources you need to thrive.

As a member of the WashU community, you have access to an array of services designed to help you navigate your academic and career paths effectively:

  • Personalized Career Coaching and Planning: Tailored support to help you identify your strengths, explore career options, and plan your future. Make an Appointment with a Career Coach.
  • Career Assessment: Career coaches offer in-depth assessments and discussions to help you understand yourself and explore possibilities. Make an Appointment with a Career Coach or get started on your own with Focus2 Career Assessment.
  • Skills Training: Seek tools and training to enhance your career readiness, professionalism and skill set. Chat with a coach or create a learning plan using LinkedIn Learning. Click here to sign up for your free LinkedIn Learning account (only available to current students, faculty, and staff).
  • Networking Opportunities: Connections to a global community of leaders, recruiters, influencer networks, and WashU alumni. Check our events and view potential mentors in WashUCNX.

Explore our comprehensive Career Resources and Tools, join career communities for targeted support, and engage with our dedicated coaches to maximize your WashU experience.

 

Helpful Resources & Programs

What Can I Do With This Major: Click “View Resource” and find information on common career paths, types of employers that hire, and strategies to maximize opportunity for 100 major fields.

Pershing Fellowship in Non-profit Leadership: A paid summer internship program in St. Louis offered through the Center for Career Engagement. The program provides experience, programming, and financial support to WashU undergraduate students interested in non-profit leadership.

Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program: A fully-funded career education experience for selected WashU second-year undergraduate students whose family income is less than $75,000. The goal of the program is to increase career access and future career success for under-resourced WashU undergraduates.

First-Generation College Student Career Barriers (and How to Overcome Them): With each generation, the transition into and out of college and then to the workplace becomes more accessible as we rely on each other’s mistakes, failures, and guidance to progress. Learn strategies to overcome seven common first-gen career barriers.

Stipends for Unpaid Summer Internships: The Center for Career Engagement has a program to help offset the costs of unpaid summer internships and provides a limited number of stipends to qualified undergraduate students.

Professional Clothes Closet: The Taylor Family Center for Student Success and the Center for Career Engagement are expanding the Professional Clothes Closet to ensure equitable access to free business attire for students for work, interviews, professional conferences and events. Shop on Mondays in the Office of Scholar Programs, Danforth University Center, Suite 300–bring your WashU ID to shop twice per semester.

2018-08-23–First year students during the Res College Cheers on the South 40

Featured Articles

Financial Literacy Part 2: New Hires

In Financial Literacy: Part 1, we covered the basics of building good financial habits while in college. For Part 2, we take a look at goals and timelines as you start your career and financial planning. This will secure your …

Read more

Financial Literacy Part 1: College Students

You may think that college is too early to begin to understand the basics of Financial Literacy. The truth is, waiting until after college would be too late. Developing good financial habits in college will set you up for fiscally …

Read more

Sidebar

Career Resources

Labor Market InsightsIn partnership withLightcast logo

Students working with members of the career team at WashU.

First, choose an industry of interest, then filter for occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

Type in a keyword to select a relevant occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

LinkedIn Learning

Nano Tips for Working Inclusively with Neurodivergent Employees with Ellie Middleton

Taught by Ellie Middleton
Welcome to our Nano Tips series, where LinkedIn Learning creators deliver impactful lessons in literally seconds. In this installment, explore…

Communicating Across Cultures

Taught by Tatiana Kolovou
View Tatiana’s LinkedIn Newsletter As the world continues to change, so does the workforce. The globalization of companies means you’re…

Supporting Non-Native English Speakers at Work

Taught by Peter Novak
Do you want to become a better ally to your superpowered multilingual colleagues and learn to speak English more inclusively?…

Accessibility-First Design

Taught by David Luhr
Knowing the benefits of an accessibility-first approach enables you to build more useful, resilient, and inclusive products. In this course,…

Public Speaking for Non-Native English Speakers

Taught by Peter Novak
Speaking in public isn’t easy for most people, and if English isn’t your first or second language, it might be…

Overcoming DEI Leadership Challenges

Taught by Toni Howard Lowe
In recent years, organizations have faced an unprecedented amount of pressure to deliver against DEI strategy, which has caused an…

Develop, Grow, Launch, and Support Your ERG

Taught by Dereca Blackmon
Diversity and inclusion initiatives are on the rise in organizations around the globe. But now that programs and plans are…

HR Roles in the Modern Workplace

Taught by Shweta Mogha
As more and more organizations start placing greater importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion, HR leaders are tasked with redefining…

Accessibility for Managers and Non-Designers

Taught by David Karlins
Creating accessible products requires an informed and sweeping mindset that thinks across the entire digital product workflow and lifecycle. In…

Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues

Taught by Kwame Christian
Learning how to communicate with each other despite our differences is an important skill to have in both your professional…

Creating Diverse Slates and Retaining Diverse Talent

Taught by Christie Lindor
Creating a diverse workforce is an investment in the future. Broadening your workforce’s representation can enhance your company’s culture, increase…

Supporting Accessibility in a Hybrid Workplace

Taught by Jessica Williams
As organizations begin to offer more worksite flexibility, the need for accessible, inclusive technology has increased at a rapid rate.…

Creating Community within Your Employee Resource Group

Taught by Farzana Nayani
Employee resource groups—more commonly known as ERGs—have become an integral part of how organizations address employees’ needs and drive long-term…

Making the Case for Diversity and Inclusion

Taught by Dereca Blackmon
While there have been significant strides forward in diversity and inclusion initiatives in recent years, many feel that progress is…

Sustainable DEI: Taking Action as an Individual, Team, and Organization

Taught by Karen Jaw-Madson
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts often get started with enthusiasm and speed, but many may stall or fail along…

Customer Service: How to Deliver Support Across Languages

Taught by Myra Golden
Build your confidence in delivering support to global customers. In this course, customer service expert Myra Golden outlines how to…

Tracking, Measuring, and Reporting Your DEI Efforts

Taught by Dr. Shirley Davis
So, you’re ramping up your DEI strategy—but you’re not sure how to measure its success along the way? In this…

WordPress: Accessibility

Taught by Joe Dolson
WordPress has undergone a variety of major changes in recent years, including new features that help you build accessible websites.…

Empowering Dyslexic Thinking at Work

Taught by Kate Griggs
According to the United Nations, roughly 15 percent of the world’s population is dyslexic. That’s one billion dyslexic thinkers living…

Nano Tips for Talking about Race at Work with Benjy Kusi

Taught by Benjamin Kusi
Welcome to our Nano Tips series, where LinkedIn Learning creators deliver impactful lessons in literally seconds. In this course, diversity,…

Contact & Location

Phone
314-935-5930
Address

Danforth University Center Suite 110
1 Brookings Dr.
St. Louis, MO 63130

Center for Career Engagement Hours

Monday 9:00 am- 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am- 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am- 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am- 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am- 5:00 pm