Welcome from Your Counselors

Virginia Steinmetz, Ph.D.

Director, Graduate Student Services

All Career Center services are open to advanced students enrolled in the Graduate School and in the Pratt School of Engineering. I work primarily with advanced students in the Arts and Science programs.  Before joining the staff of the Career Center in 1991, I taught English and American language and literature courses from middle school to the college level and to adults in Duke's Lifelong Learning Institute.  I earned my doctorate at Duke in English.

Confidential Advising
I provide confidential career-related information and advice whether you plan faculty or other professional employment or would like to develop a plan for how you will use your Duke master's or Ph.D. education. I recommend resources to research specific career subfields and suggest self-assessment and decision making strategies so that you can navigate your degree program successfully and find work appropriate to your academic preparation. My goal is to support you as you explore career options and locate internship and employment opportunities that match your individual interests and field expertise.

Emphasis on Early Planning
It is important to plan your graduate experience in line with your long-term career goals. Clarifying those goals and shaping your pre-professional activities early in your Duke graduate education will increase its value. Throughout your Duke years you will want to integrate your needs and interests with the external realities of membership in your professional community and sub-field.

Not all graduate students are larval professors. . .Not all graduate students want to or should attempt [the transition from graduate student life to professorhood]. There is life outside of the university—in industry, in government, and in private foundations—for students in all fields . . . it is important for graduate students continuously to question their career goals.
Henry M. Wilbur, “On Getting a Job,” Academic’s Handbook, 1995

Kirsten Nicholas, M.B.A.

Director, MEMP Career Services

In counseling MEMP students, I provide assistance by delivering services such as career assessments, resume and cover letter critiques, mock interviews, job search strategies, networking tips, providing industry and alumni contacts, group counseling sessions, and more. My goal is to partner with you in exploring your values, interests, and skills to determine possible career options for you to consider and potentially pursue.

Previously, I served as the Director of Career Services for DeVry University’s Washington D.C. metropolitan.  I also co-authored a textbook focusing on career development topics to be released in 2007.  In my free time I teach courses on career development at local universities and volunteer with collegiate women’s organizations.  I enjoy traveling and spending quality time with my family.  I earned my MBA in Human Resource Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management in 2006 and holds a B.S. in Industrial Psychology from California State University, Hayward.  

I look forward to learning more about your background and meeting you soon!

Not enrolled in the Graduate School? Contact the career services provided by Duke's professional schools