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AEP Footsteps

Footsteps is a career exploration program that provides Bradley University students with an opportunity to begin exploring and experiencing potential careers firsthand. Students shadow a professional within their field(s) of interest for a portion of the work day. This provides students with a deeper understanding of the career/industry. Students also develop a professional contact within a prospective career field, laying the foundation for a potential mentorship, internship or career opportunity. See the Footsteps Info Guide.

  1. Footsteps Program Application
  2. Meeting with coordinator of Academic Exploration Program
  3. Career research
  4. Meeting with career advisor
  5. Footsteps job shadowing experience
  6. Brief reflection write/up
  7. Final meeting with coordinator of Academic Exploration Program

Students submit a brief reflection to and meet with the Coordinator of the Academic Exploration Program following their Footsteps experience. This allows students to debrief and discuss their observations and interests to assist in the process of selecting an academic program most fitting their career goals.

A brief listing of previous AEP student job shadow visits:

  • Caterpillar (International Business, Accounting)
  • Children’s Hospital of IL Foundation (Marketing)
  • Charter Oak School (Speech Language Pathology)
  • Ethan Allen Interior’s (Family and Consumer Science—Retail Merchandising)
  • Lakeview Museum (History)
  • National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (Biology)
  • OSF Saint Francis Medical Center--Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation (Health Science)
  • Regent Broadcasting (Television Arts)
  • Simantel Group Incoporated (Advertising)
  • State Farm Insurance Company (Actuarial Science)

Please note:

  • Setting up an individual job shadowing experience will take at least a couple of weeks.
  • The duration of each Footsteps shadowing experience can be a couple of hours or a half-day depending on employer availability.
  • Most employers work between 8am and 5pm, therefore all job shadowing experiences must take place during “normal business hours”.