Daniel J Clarkin Thillet

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I've always had an appreciation for education and learning. I spent the last few years working as a foreign language instructor in Spain working with students of all ages; from primary to post-secondary. So when I returned to the US, I decided to give myself a break and explore other options that I thought could expand my area of expertise and broaden my horizons. Advising at a university seemed like the next step to strengthen my skills and I decided to go for it. I love working as an Academic Advisor and in the future, although I would love to go back to teaching, I see myself continuing working in the counseling/advising world.

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

I help students set up academic goals and build their academic resume so they are ready to join the job field of their choice when they graduate. I set up meetings with my students to check on their grades and to guide them through their college careers. A lot of times, students come to me for advice on picking a major, selecting a specialization for their major, an in-depth look at what their career prospects will look like once they graduate, and opportunities they can explore such as; studying abroad, starting internships, joining clubs/organizations, etc.

How did you start building your network?

Creating a LinkedIn account is a great start. Once you are enrolled in college, I strongly suggest creating an account and listing all/any experience you have. Whether it be skills you learned in a seminar or part-time job, or even things you feel you are strongly interested in or excel at. It's important to be active on sites like LinkedIn, as you'll gain more traction on it and see more opportunities that you can jump at.