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CAREER COUNSELOR'S CORNER 1.800.973.1177

“I think this was easier for the professors

than for me,” she offered. “I had just become

Nebraska Law School’s new Career Services

Director and doing so after having been a

student at the same place was slightly sur-

real. Almost the entire faculty was the same

from when I was a student! It was an adjust-

ment for me to look at my former teachers

as colleagues and peers. Everyone was very

gracious, however, and went out of their way

to help me ease into my new role. The tran-

sition has been very comfortable.”

Carla was born in Parkston, SD, and majored

in Criminal Justice at the University of South

Dakota in Vermillion. It was during these for-

mative years that she decided to spend her

life in public service helping others.

At law school at the University of Nebraska,

she began working in the Career Services

Office answering phones, filing, and doing

other useful jobs for the Career Services Di-

rector. After Carla graduated and became a

public defender in the Douglas County Public

Defender’s Office in Omaha, she and her old

Career Services Director continued to keep

in touch.

“I loved public defender work,” Carla

confesses. “The first week in my position, I

found myself in court. The pace was fast and

relentless, which can be both invigorating

and grueling.”

When asked why she left, she laughed.

“I don’t think I consciously thought about

leaving, but during one of my conversations

with my old Career Services Director, she

mentioned she was going to run for political

office and that if she won, I should apply for

the job.”

We asked what happened.

“She won. I sent a letter to the Dean, was in-

terviewed, and got the job! At about the same

time, I got pregnant, and the new position fit

perfectly with the changes in my family. It

definitely was a memorable and happy point

in my life.”

We asked how Carla was faring with the new

job and new child.

“Great,” she said. “I guess I gravitate natu-

rally to fast-paced, service-type jobs.

There is just myself and an assistant in my

office, so we keep very busy coordinating the

on-campus interview seasons, career-re-

lated programming for the student body, in-

dividual counseling and resume review, out-

reach to students, plus helping alumni. We

have a saying in our office: once a student,

always a student. This means that alumni

can access almost every service that we offer

for current students. That includes help with

resumes, cover letters, job referrals, and the

like. It keeps us busy, I can assure you!”

Carla says that the University of Nebraska

Law School just the right size for a law

school: big enough to offer a diverse cur-

riculum but small enough to be a real com-

munity. That is a benefit to her, as she tries

to get to know every student and to provide

assistance to all who seek it.

The school graduates approximately 120

students per year, with roughly 70% staying

in the Midwest region. For those going out of

state, alumni are important connections. “We

have an extensive alumni base that is very

generous with its time and expertise. Part

of the job of this office is to maintain contact

with our alumni and, when possible, utilize

them to assist current students.”

We asked about any initiative she has started

which seems to be working, and she was

quick to respond.

“Technology is wonderful. I’ve started email-

ing students individually to find out what they

need from us. I have a form for each of them

to fill out to describe their job-search cri-

teria. Based on what I learn, I respond with

jobs for which they might apply, plus sug-

gestions of other places they might look. For

the third-year students, I email the class to

determine who is still looking for a job. Once

I can pinpoint those students, I go to work to

help them as much as I can. Some students

have the perception that their Career Ser-

vices Office is supposed to find them a job.

By the third year, they understand that this

is their quest, not ours. However, it is our

job is to help make their job easier, and at

Nebraska we do everything we can to help.”

continued on back

Carla DeVelder, Career Services Director, Univer-sity of Nebraska Law School [By John J. Barnes]

Imagine what it must be like to be eight years out of law school and suddenly find yourself a peer of the

very professors who once taught you. That was the position Carla DeVelder found herself in during the

spring of 2003.