Jim Shields

As the Associate Director for Career Services and Professional Development Programs, Jim is here to help PSNK students succeed as they look to the future and make academic and career plans. Achieving career success is much more than just deciding on the “right” major and then applying for “good” jobs after graduation! It’s about communicating confidently, building experience and meeting people who can help students learn about careers and connect with opportunities along the way. That’s what we do in Career Services – create chances for students to meet people, practice communicating and build confidence and experience while exploring and setting career goals. Some programs he manages and develops at PSNK include:

• the G.R.E.A.T. Program (Growing Regional Excellence through Experience, Academics and Training) - a unique professional development program for first-year engineering and technology students, which includes the opportunity to obtain an internship for up to four years; 

• P.R.O.S. Seminars (Professional Readiness for our Outstanding Student Workers) – a series of training workshops for student employees to learn and improve skills in their campus jobs;

• Leader Launch – PSNK’s annual career and professional networking conference in downtown Pittsburgh where students can learn directly from alumni and employers about career paths and job searching.

The reason why Jim is in the Career Services field is a story of about his own career development in college. In high school, Jim decided that he wanted to be a physician based on his interest in biology and with significant influence from his family. He went to Bucknell University and majored in biology, but in his junior year reassessed his interest in medicine after a job shadowing experience at a local hospital. As a result, Jim took a greater interest in psychology and education and eventually discovered the field of Student Affairs, which focuses on helping college students with their decisions and transitions. Jim received a master’s degree in Student Affairs from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).