Rotational Programs

I always thought that college is for education, and then you graduate and get a job and magically begin to work.  But what if you don't know what field or department you want to enter? That's what rotational programs are for.  Although they're generally very competitive, if you can get accepted it's like college in the corporate world.  Programs can be as short as 6 months or as long as 5 years, and generally consist of assignments that will rotate you throughout different departments within one location, or even throughout locations- the large companies often offer international assignments!  While some programs are very specific, focusing on "Human Resources" or "Finance," there are also "Leadership Development" programs that give you a taste of all the different aspects of the company, so you can try out each area and see what you prefer.

The best part?  These programs are designed to train, and are normally a mixture of direct experience and classroom instruction.  That means you don’t need job-specific experience- as long as you work hard they’ll teach you.

Of course, nothing comes without a price.  The downside with rotational programs is that there is less job security- many programs do not guarantee a permanent job upon completion.  Even if you don’t stay with that company though, the lessons that you learn during your various assignments can prove useful in any setting.

The A&S Career Services office has a listing of over 50 companies that offer rotational programs (G55 Goldwin Smith) but that’s just the beginning. The majority of large companies (and many of the medium ones) offer rotational programs- if there’s a company you’re interested in, check out their website.  You may have to dig- despite the superb opportunity that the programs are, they are often buried within the careers section of the website.  Of those companies that don’t offer rotational programs, many still offer some sort of leadership training program, which contains the same training components without the rotations.