Professional for a Day Job Shadow

What is Professional for a Day? 

The CASNR Professional for a Day Program is a volunteer job shadowing opportunity to spend a half day or full day observing professionals, investigating a career field, and experiencing a day in the life of a professional in the agriculture industry.  It allows you to clarify career goals and make important connections with professionals who can be a valuable resource in your career development.  Professional for a Day will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 in conjunction with National Career Development Day.

What should I expect?  

Experiences will vary by employer.  You may shadow in one department or rotate through various departments to get a broad overview of the organization. You may take a tour; conduct informational interviews with professionals; sit in on staff meetings; and/or assist with actual projects.  Transportation will be provided.  

Based on employer availability, there is a possibility that not all students who apply will be matched with an employer.  You will be matched to one of the following employers:

Bayer - Waco Seed Production

There is a lot to see and experience at the Bayer - Waco Seed Production site in Waco, NE.  During your time at Bayer, you will meet with their leadership team, walk through a full tour of the site, and spend time shadowing one or two employees, likely technicians who own and execute Bayer production processes. By the end of the day, you should have a good grasp of the work they do and type of roles available in Waco, as well as the skills and interests that make a candidate a strong fit.  This experience will be from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. in Waco, NE

Farmers Cooperative

This experience will give an overview of grain marketing/merchandising and origination as well as provide a better understanding of cooperatives. This will include a highlight of all the career opportunities a co-op can offer plus all that a co-op does and provides. You will hear from company leadership and tour facilities such as a grain elevator, agronomy hub, and corporate office.  This experience will be from 1 - 5 p.m. at their corporate headquarters in Dorchester, NE.

Students of any major are welcome as area of interest is more important to them than major. 

Do I receive course credit? 

The Professional for a Day program is a non-credit volunteer experience. 

How do I prepare? 

After your application is received, we will send you information about the employer with whom you've been matched, as well as some tips about how to get the most out of the experience.  We'll provide you with sample questions to ask during Professional for a Day, as well as reflection questions to help you synthesize what you learned and how to apply it to your career development.

How do I follow-up?

Following Professional for a Day, we will send you information on how to add the experience to your resume and sample thank you e-mails.  You will also be asked to complete an evaluation to provide feedback to help us improve the program in the future.