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My primary interactions with Columbia have been in the Interdisciplinary Arts Department. However, I have had some wonderful experiences with the college as a whole, whether it has been working with the Television Department, Film Department , or Theater Department, or interacting with the Graduate Admission & Services Office. Today I am going to talk about a wonderful resource on Columbia’s campus that more students need to take advantage of: The Portfolio Center.

The Portfolio Center

The Portfolio Center is dedicated to helping students create, document, and promote good work. They offer a variety of programs that are always changing based on student needs. These programs are designed to help students make wise career choices, complete quality portfolios, and make strategic moves into their respective fields.

What does the Portfolio Center have to offer?

The portfolio center has so much to offer it’s incredible.

If you need help writing or improving your resume, they have a number of resources, from resume guides to video tutorials. You can also meet one-on-one with one of the tremendously helpful portfolio center staff. (I know this from personal experience.) They also have a variety of resources to help you search for a job and plan out your career path.

Need a website? The portfolio center can help you build your own custom website, and thanks to the schools partnership with Virb, each student can take advantage of a free site through Virb.

Need help documenting your art? Check out these guidelines from the Portfolio Center website.

Need to find a job? They have a number of resources to help find jobs on and off campus and internships that will help with professional development. They also have resources to provide networking opportunities such as the talent pool.

What has been my experience with the Portfolio Center?

If the tremendous number of resources on the Portfolio Center website are not enough, you can always schedule an appointment with their staff for some one-on-one advising. I have done this on a number of occasions to get help beefing up my resume and finding more resources to help me in my job search. I even got to sit down with a graphic designer who helped me design business cards and work on branding!

All this to say the Portfolio Center has a number of wonderful resources that are there to really help Columbia’s students succeed professionally. Take advantage of all these free resources while your in the program. They are great, and they are there for you.