For the first time in almost 10 years California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), officially reopened the Career and Professional Development Center. The “revamp” was spearheaded by Julie Sedlemeyer, the new Director of Career Services.
Julie Sedlemeyer is from a small town called Frankfurt, Kansas, where she and her family lived on a farm. 
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Kansas State University. After graduating, Sedlemeyer moved to California and started working at San Jose State University (SJSU).
While at SJSU, Sedlemeyer was part of a very special program and was an Assistant Director of Career Services. 
“I have been at San Jose State University for the past 18 years. I started out as the project director for the workability program, a pre-employment program for students with disabilities that are clients of California’s department of Rehabilitation,”  Sedlemeyer added.
The Workability program allows students who have disabilities to be connected with careers and education. It assists students by providing resources and accommodations to allow students with disabilities to attend job fairs and make use of the career center.
“Statistics of students with disabilities who are usually unemployed or under-employed are at higher rates than those without disabilities,” Sedlemeyer explained.
She had been contacted a few times about the Career Services Director job and expressed her excitement for being back in a farming community much like the small town in Kansas where she was raised.
Sedlemeyer felt she could connect with the 75-80% of the first-generation students because she had been a first-generation student in her family. 
“Back in 2008 Stanislaus dissolved its career services, it rolled up into academic advising, so they have not had a standalone career center in almost 10 years, so the opportunity to bring career services here was very exciting,” Sedlemeyer exclaimed. 
Her background as four-year Associate Director of Career Services at SJSU, as well as being Interim Director of Career Services for a year served as a foundation for the Career Center Director position at Stan State.
The vision for the new and improved Career Services Center, according to Sedlemeyer, is to educate students on career development and connect them with employment opportunities. Also to encourage all students no matter what year they are in to take advantage of the offerings Career Services provide.
“The College of Business has the Student Success Center, so I am currently working with the Business Student Success center to exploring career database management systems, so that we can easily have job listings that all students can connect with and apply for positions,” Sedlemeyer said. 
Since Stan state has not had a standalone Career Services Center, Sedlemeyer wants to hear what students need to know or have to succeed once they graduate.
“I want to really hear from students, now that we have the center coming back, what is it that they want from Career Services? How can we help facilitate the next step,”  States Sedlemeyer.
Because Career Services were tied into advising, the former Career Services tended to serve mainly freshmen and sophomores. The goal of the new and improved Career Services is to encourage all students, including juniors and seniors, to take advantage of the options that come next after obtaining a degree.
The Career and Professional Development Center is located in the Mary Stuart Rodgers (MSR) building in room 230. Find their hours and contact information here.