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Voices of ACES Blog

Take Every Chance You Get

ACE students discussing policy.

With it being this time of year, I sat down and realized how much I have to be thankful for. Whether it is the friends and family, I surround myself with, or the opportunity to be receiving an education at the University of Illinois, I consider myself to be a pretty lucky person. Ever since I was a baby, I have been able to call this place home. One could even say that I grew up in the Fighting Illini orange and blue. 

My senior year of high school I knew that I wanted to continue my education at the University of Illinois. What I wanted to study was a different story. I was raised on a family farm, so I felt like I had no better option than to select a major in the College of ACES. After looking into it further, I knew that this major they called “ACE” would be the absolute perfect match for me. So I had my mind set on the university I was going to attend, my major I was going to study, but I had one important piece of the equation missing. What did I want to do after I graduated? My first year on campus I would always get asked that question, and my answer started to sound repetitive when I would say “Oh, I’m not sure yet, something to do with agriculture.” It was not until the end of my sophomore semester that I could finally answer that question with confidence. Some might ask how did I decide what I wanted to do, and I would reply with one simple answer: ACE 341. 

When I enrolled in ACE 341, I had no idea what to expect. I heard positive reviews about it, so I thought to myself why not enroll. Throughout the semester, I learned extremely helpful tips about the career fair, how to stand out to employers, how to be successful in the workplace, but the most useful aspect of all was having employers come in every class and present about what they do in their positions. After hearing from a variety of different companies, I realized what I was not interested, but more importantly what I would love to do. I do not think anything is more beneficial than having employers come in to speak about their positions and what they do in their job from day to day. If it was not for this class, I do not think I would have my mind set on what path I want to pursue for the rest of my life. 

So my advice to all incoming ACE students: do not worry if you have no idea what you want to do with your life because the faculty here in ACE provides you with the opportunities to help you decide. It is entirely up to if you decide to take advantage of those, but I say DO IT because you only have four years here in one of the best departments at the University of Illinois.