Focus: Building Career Confidence and Belonging
Students begin developing career confidence from their first semester. Students explore possibilities, understand how their education connects to future careers, and begin identifying their strengths, interests, and goals.
Faculty and staff play an important role in helping students see the connection between what they are learning and where it can take them.
Early career conversations can help students:
- Understand how their program connects to future opportunities
- Build confidence in their academic and career direction
- Recognize the skills they are developing
- Develop a stronger sense of belonging and purpose
- Explore career possibilities and campus supports
Even small conversations can help students see the value of their Centennial experience.
Students are often beginning to:
- Understand career possibilities connected to their program
- Explore their interests, strengths, and values
- Connect classroom learning to workplace opportunities
- Identify skills they want to develop
- Discover campus resources and opportunities
Small actions throughout the semester can help students connect learning to future success.
- Connect Course Learning to Career Possibilities
- Help students understand how their learning applies beyond the classroom.
- Examples:
- Share examples of how concepts are used in professional settings
- Highlight careers where course skills are applied
- Discuss connections between assignments and the workplace
- Career Conversation Starter:
- "Where might professionals use this skill in the workplace?"
- Encourage Students to Think About Their Goals
- Help students begin exploring their future possibilities.
- Conversation starters:
- What interested you about this program?
- What type of work interests you?
- What careers would you like to learn more about?
- Help Students Recognize Their Developing Skills
- Students build employability skills through every course.
- Highlight skills such as:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Time management
- Connect Students to Career Supports
- Encourage students to explore:
- Career Services
- ExperienceCentennial
- Employment advising appointments
- Career workshops and events
- Career Exploration Resources
- On-campus employment opportunities
- Encourage students to explore:
- Small Actions, Big Impact
- In five minutes or less, faculty can:
- Ask students what skill they developed from an activity or assignment
- Highlight one workplace connection during a lesson
- Share a Career Services resource
- Encourage students to explore career possibilities
- In five minutes or less, faculty can:
Faculty Resources
| Classroom Resources | Suggested Use |
|---|---|
| Transition In Webinar – Discover, Build Confidence & Belonging | Students explore possibilities, build confidence, and begin connecting their education to future careers. |
| Career Services Introduction Video | Introduce Career Services during the first few weeks of class |
| First Semester Career Conversation Guide | Facilitate career discussions with students |
Student Resources
Share these directly with students.
Career Learning Outcomes
By the end of the "Transition-In" stage, students should be able to:
- Articulate a career identity that reflects their strengths, values, and evolving goals.
- Engage in informed career exploration using resources, networks, and strategies relevant to their field.
Reflection Prompt
Consider reflecting on the following questions:
- How are students in your course connecting what they're learning to future careers?
- Where could you naturally incorporate a career conversation into your teaching?