When students arrive at Boston College, they are embarking on an exciting journey of self discovery. A world of opportunities—academic, extracurricular, professional, and social—is at their fingertips. In the Career Center, we believe that each experience allows students to develop skills, better understand themselves, and grow. While joining a student organization or participating in a service trip may not seem like a better career exploration activity at face value, these experiences are what often shape future paths.
Career exploration is an exciting process that is fueled by curiosity, reflection, and imagination. In their book Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life, authors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans write, “A well-designed life is a life that is generative—it is constantly creative, productive, changing, evolving, and there is always the possibility of surprise.” Adopting this view empowers students to see career discernment with a sense of possibility instead of an anxiety-producing task.
- Endeavor Registration
- Designing Your Career course
- Virtual Spring Career & Internship Fair
- Alumni Job Shadow
However, students sometimes skip over this crucial step. Before they make decisions regarding careers, we encourage them to invest time into learning more about themselves and the world around them. By taking time to understand what brings them joy, what they are good at, and what the world needs them to be, students will feel more equipped to make career decisions that will feel meaningful.
The Career Center’s cluster model aligns with our philosophy that a student’s major does not dictate their career path. In addition to the six industry-based clusters, all of which are led by an individual member of the Career Education team, there is an Exploration Cluster for students who are unsure of their interests or are deciding between multiple future paths. Students from all colleges and academic disciplines are invited to engage with career clusters of interest.
The Exploration Cluster is composed of three professional staff members and provides one-one-one coaching services, an array of online resources, and a menu of programming aimed to help students determine how their interests, skills, and values align with possible career paths. The Exploration team conducts large-scale outreach to first-year students through classroom presentations in order to emphasize the importance of starting exploration early. Our “Reflect & Connect” classroom presentations introduce students to the cluster model, provide access to key career exploration resources such as Eagle Exchange and Handshake, and inspire action steps for how to begin discerning what a meaningful future may look like.
Signature programs that are designed to support students in their career exploration include Endeavor, a three-day program for sophomores and juniors, the Designing Your Career Course, a one-credit academic course inspired by design thinking, and the Alumni Job Shadow Program, a half- or full-day experience during which students have the opportunity to shadow a professional and learn about a career field of interest. Exploration programming is designed to provide students of all class years, majors, and backgrounds with opportunities to reflect, gain professional skills, and develop an understanding of the career exploration process.
Regardless of your student’s year, major, or college, check in with them about their career discernment. Career coaches as well as numerous virtual resources are available to support students no matter where they are.