Peter Belk,31, works for Metropolitan Community Colleges.
He has a COOL JOB as College Relations Coordinator.

His Gig:
Belk is a college recruiter. His job is to visit students at high school campuses and give them information on Metropolitan Community Colleges in Kansas City. He also gives on-campus tours, and has continual correspondence with prospective students. "I enjoyed my years in college and wanted to give my time to helping students have the same great experience," Belk said. His first big break was being hired at DeVry Institute of Technology to work in their housing department. He had no work experience in higher education but they hired him because of his business background to handle their accounting. "I explained to my supervisor that I wanted to pursue a master's degree in higher education administration and move up within the college. To my surprise, DeVry paid for a majority of my tuition!"

A Day In The Life Of:
There are no two days that are the same. However, Belk spends a majority of time on high school campuses. Other activities include giving tours of the campus, returning potential student's phone calls and e-mails, mailing them information packets, and working on various campus committees. "It seems like there is always something to do!" he said.

Career Path:
"I worked my way through college at Kmart. After graduation, I spent two years with them in management," Belk said. He then moved from K Mart to DeVry, then to Southeast Missouri State University where he advised campus organizations, leadership activities, and student activities. From there, he took a bit of a detour and worked for a marketing firm for almost two years as a recruiter. "That position allowed me to travel the country to find part-time students and full-time graduates to work for our firm. I am sure the employment recruiting efforts I coordinated allowed me to reenter the education field as a college recruiter," he said.

High Five:
"Working with potential students is the best part of my job. I enjoy getting to know them and helping them get into the college program that is right for them."

Down Low:
"Letting go of students once they start. I miss not spending time with students to be able to watch them grow from the college experience."

Words from the Wise:
"Work on campus (in records, financial aid, student services, etc.) while you're in school. Be a resident assistant, join - and most importantly - run for office in campus organizations and study! An active 3.0 GPA student is just as, if not more, attractive to employers as a 4.0 student."

Education:
BA in Business administration from Missouri Southern State College. Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from University of Missouri at Kansas City.