By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

If you’re a SUNY Oswego student looking for career guidance, Christine Mosich may cross your path.

Newly named the assistant director of career services late last spring, Mosich previously worked as a career development coach at the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Computing.

Mosich grew up in Penn Yan, so returning to the Finger Lakes is a homecoming for her, as well as her fiancé, Kyle Barkley, whose parents also live in the area. Barkley had just transitioned from active duty in the Air Force to the National Guard as a reservist as they moved. Now he works at L3 Harris Communications in Rochester. The couple makes their home in Liverpool.

Mosich’s education at SUNY Cortland prepared her to teach children; however, as she began student teaching, she started feeling unsure if that’s what she wanted to do. Since New York requires a master’s degree for educators, she began the process to pursue that degree. During orientation at Cortland, she talked with a few mentors about what to do. Eventually she decided to earn a master’s in higher education student affairs, which she did at Penn State.

She worked in South Carolina for three years before the opportunity arose to move back to New York.

Getting to know the students and campus culture at Oswego has been tough during the quarantine period of the pandemic, she said. On her first day on the job last spring, she picked up her computer on campus and didn’t return to the office all summer. Working from the dining room table has challenges.

“Zoom fatigue is a real thing,” Mosich said.

She continued to meet with students all summer online.

“When it comes to career development, I have a unique way of looking at how I help students,” she said. “I’m realistic. Industry and technology are changing daily. I like to help them learn how to manage their own career now so in the future when industries and jobs are eliminated by technology or new jobs are created, they’ll have the skills and competence to do that on their own.”

Mosich enjoys hiking, kayaking and spending time with family — especially since it’s only a 90-minute drive instead of 13 hours. She hopes to find a slow pitch softball league to join.

She also enjoys domestic and international travel. She has been to England, Nicaragua and Australia. She hopes to travel more once restrictions are lifted.

Photo: Christine Mosich was recently named assistant director of career services.