CoLA Career Development
CoLA is dedicated to providing career development opportunities for students. Please view the resources below. If you have any questions, reach out to Rachel Wolters, Coordinator for Recruitment and Retention.
SIU's Career Development Center has numerous resources for students. They host employment events; have information on internships, externships, and experiential education; have lists of job search links; help students develop professional skills such as creating resumes/CVs and cover letters; host interview opportunities; and offer a professional clothing closet.
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
CoLA Career Week with Alumni: October 20-24, 2025
Pre-Law Workshop with Simmons Law School: Fall Date TBA
"What You Need to Know for Grad School" Info Session: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 11:00-1:00
Resume and Financial Wellness Info Session: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 11:00-1:00
Pre-Law Workshop with Simmons Law School: Spring Date TBA
CoLA Alumni Stories
The Global Career Accelerator
CoLA has partnered with Podium Education to offer the Global Career Accelerator. Through this program, students take a 6 credit hour SIU course and complete virtual internships with global companies. Please see the SIU Global Career Accelerator website for further details. This course/internship is open to all majors.
Focus 2
CoLA students have access to the Focus 2 career development platform. This resource uses self-assessments to bridge a student's interests, major, and career paths. All majors at SIU are welcome to use the platform. If you are a non-CoLA major, you can check the label "non-CoLA major" when you set-up your account.
- CoLA Majors: Use the platform to identify your skill set and strengths. View potential careers with your major, and view current occupational information including average salaries and job outlooks.
- CoLA Undecided Students: Use the platform to identify your skill set and strengths. Consider majors at SIU that match your interests, and view potential careers for those majors. View current occupational information including average salaries and job outlooks.
Login through the Focus 2 Career Link. Access code is: colasaluki
CREATING AN ACCOUNT AND LOGINAll new users must create an account by clicking on the “REGISTER” button on the above Link and fill out the "Create Your Focus 2 Career Account" form. An access code (colasaluki) is required to submit the form.
Prepare for Illinois’ Future Powered by Kaplan's All Access License
Through an Illinois statewide partnership, SIU students can now receive free access to Kaplan's test prep resources for graduate admissions exams, licensure exams, and credentialing exams, as well as skills development courses. For CoLA students, the GRE and LSAT courses are likely of the most interest, but there are over 40 test prep courses available.
LinkedIn Learning
SIU students have access to LinkedIn Learning. There are over 22,000 courses available. This page includes a few options related to Career Development that you might find useful as a starting point for this resource.