The Bates College Purposeful Work (PW) Job Shadow program connects Bates students with up to 300 sponsors, including alumni, parents and friends of the college who are committed to providing career support. The application is quick and easy. It requires a brief resume review, which is a 10-15 minute process in person or online, and a short statement of interest. For anyone interested in applying, taking that extra moment to browse Handshake before the November 14th deadline is worthwhile.
This month, I had the opportunity to interview Amy Jaffe, Director of Career Exploration Programs and Advising, and James H. Smith ‘14, Assistant Director for Program Design and Support at Bates. During our conversation, I asked them about the program and the 2025–2026 job shadow offerings. We spoke about this year’s sponsors, which include a wide range of opportunities across states and industries. I discovered opportunities I had not been aware of before, ranging from Portland Hearts of Pine, a club sports team dedicated to bringing professional soccer to Maine, and NoticeAbility Inc., a nonprofit focused on dyslexia education, to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA. It became clear that the PW job shadows make job exploration accessible to students in various domains.
The knowledge I gained from this conversation reminded me of the value of hands-on experience when exploring career pathways. Jaffe emphasized that the PW Job Shadow program helps students “identify skills from the liberal arts education to implement in the world of work.” She added that 449 students participated in the program last year and were matched with 815 different opportunities. Jaffe noted that students can apply for up to three shadowing opportunities each year, meaning they can participate in up to twelve during their time at Bates.
James Smith, a Bates Class of 2014 alum, shared that the Job Shadow program was integral to his career search at Bates and is now involved with the program on the alumni side. He noted that “everyone was welcoming during his shadow,” which he explored toward the end of his Bates career, and he is glad to “pay” that support forward. Jaffe described that of the program’s 247 sponsors, 41 are young alumni who graduated in the last 10 years, indicating the considerable number of recent graduates who are similarly committed to giving back to the college.
As a senior at Bates who has participated in the program, I have experienced this unique opportunity firsthand. Last spring, I shadowed a Bates alum pursuing a Ph.D. through the Graduate Partnership between Brown University and the National Institutes of Health. I learned about her pathway from her Bates undergraduate studies to her current high-level research. In cultivating my own path in public health, this shadow stands out as a defining moment in my career development.
If you are hoping to expand your network, discover a new career pathway, or even just try something new, the Bates PW Job Shadow is a great next step
