About Career Design / Staff

In May 2021 we shifted from career development (Department of Career Development) to career design (Career Design Center) to build the foundation for an equity-minded approach to career. In traditional career development models, students evaluate their options based on how they understand and feel about their past experiences. This approach can be especially limiting for first-generation students and historically marginalized populations, who may not have the same level of access to connections and experiences. It is our hope that the shift to career design will inspire all students to create, explore, and activate new versions of themselves throughout time, as they build their way forward.

Career design emphasizes the student being at the center of their own experience, meeting them where they are. A strength of this approach is the ability to teach students to engage their curiosities and prototype personal and professional ideas that could lead to a meaningful career, even when they might not be able to imagine their future career goals.

In this new model there is an emphasis on action. Design encourages students to be active participants in their future by trying things out, making adjustments, and embracing change. Career design is not about students figuring out what they want to do for the rest of their lives; it is about whatever they want to do next.

YOU ARE HERE… so let’s begin!