Personalized Paths to Success: Dickinson's New Career Communities Model

Alumni, parents, industry experts provide additional layers of support

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Dickinson is launching an exciting new model of career services that’s tailored to the fields students are interested in. This new model helps students and new grads to meet the demands of an evolving marketplace. And it’s available at every stage of their college careers—and beyond!

“This innovative and creative developmental model provides an additional layer of support,” says Melissa Sturm-Smith, senior associate provost for integrated student academic success. “It’s another way to help students as they explore whatever their interests and passions are and to get them career-ready for whatever industry they’d like to pursue.”

Students subscribe to themed Career Communities, led by advisors with expertise in specific sectors or industries. Students may join as many Career Communities that capture their passions, allowing them to explore a wide range of sectors as their interests evolve.

Each Career Community is designed to help students both learn about potential paths within a given field or sector and acquire the specialized knowledge, skills and experiences that employers in that sector are looking for today. Along with Dickinson’s liberal-arts education, this gives students a distinct edge, says Annie Kondas, executive director of the Center for Career Development.

“It complements what Dickinson already does so well—transformational education with a focus on hands-on learning—and then takes it to a deeper level,” she explains. “And because it’s available to students from day one, it helps them develop these skills and experiences much earlier than they otherwise might.”

Birds of a feather

The Career Communities are:

business & finance
data & technology
environment, natural resources & sustainability
government & law/policy
health, wellness & human services
marketing, communications, fine arts & entertainment
nonprofit, education & social impact
STEM & scientific research
and career exploration.

The first eight Career Communities are for students with a good idea of the career paths they’d like to pursue. These groups are led by pathway advisors—professionals who specialize in a given industry or sector; understand its conventions, needs and trends; and maintain relevant professional networks. They know the internships, certifications and skills that set young job seekers apart and can help students develop industry-tailored resumes and interview techniques and find entry-level opportunities.

Led by an experienced career generalist, the Career Exploration Community is ideal for students who are not yet sure what fields they’d like to explore. One-on-one sessions and guided group opportunities help these students discover their passions and how to connect them to their life goals and academic pursuits. From there, they can confidently explore the Career Community (or Communities) that best match their interests.

Students at every stage of this journey are encouraged to take advantage of multiple hands-on learning opportunities, such as internships and research projects, and to reflect on whether their passions and interests have deepened or shifted. As they plan their next steps, experts are there to help, every step of the way.

“It complements what Dickinson already does so well—transformational education with a focus on hands-on learning—and then takes it to a deeper level."

Staffing up

This more individualized approach requires a stable of specialist advisors. Dickinson recently hired three new career services staff members and restructured seven existing positions to include pathway advisor roles.

All of these pathway advisors are deeply immersed in their industries, and they stay abreast through regular conferences and weekly informational interviews with working professionals. Many are seasoned career advisors, while others have direct experience in the sectors they represent.

It takes a village

With the help of career pathway advisors, Dickinson is exponentially increasing communitywide involvement in internships, hiring and advising. Alumni, parents and friends can through:

Career workshops, seminars, lectures and panel discussions: Sample topics include job-search and interview strategies, trends, career paths and in-demand skills.
Career Community meetings: Whether on campus or virtually, you may speak about your professional path, share resources and knowledge and/or facilitate discussions about your industry.
Job shadowing.
Informational interviews.
Internship and job opportunities.
Focused LinkedIn communities curated by Dickinson’s Office of Alumni Engagement.
Advisory roles: Serving on advisory boards, alumni may provide guidance on how to improve career services, expand professional networks and meet the evolving needs of both students and alumni.

As Kondas notes, the involvement of alumni and families is a win-win. “It not only enhances the value of the Center for Career Development but also strengthens the bonds between alumni and between alumni and students,” she says. “This creates a community where professional growth and success are continuously supported.”

Power of philanthropy

"We believe that adding this specificity will help [Dickinson students and graduates] rise to the top of employers’ lists."

Innovations like these are possible because of generous members of the extended college community who support initiatives like the Career Innovation Fund. The fund also provides for a variety of career-shaping and professional-development opportunities for students, such as conferences, off-campus job and internship fairs and online courses and certifications that employers seek.

Stuart P’21 and Pamela Mathews P’21 are the parents of three recent college graduates, including one Dickinsonian. They support career initiatives at Dickinson because they’ve seen the challenges new graduates can face today. “We understand how important it is for students to have great mentors, advisors and counseling as they leave college and start working,” says Stuart. “We hope our gift will help Dickinson provide the resources to help students with that all-important first step.”

Don Nagle '76 and his wife, Cindy Stites '77, have also generously supported the fund, and after learning more about the new career communities from Sturm-Smith and Kondas, they're eager to see their impact of their gift. "We hope that our gift will help provide students opportunities to use their Dickinson education to find work and careers which they find meaningful and rewarding," says Nagle. "We believe deeply in the value of a Dickinson liberal arts education. We also believe in an integrated approach that links the Dickinson experience to a student’s career development."

Nick ’98 and Natascha Blake Hunter ’97 also support career development as well as other Dickinson initiatives. They’re happy to see their alma mater innovate in response to complex and evolving challenges in the working world. “A lot has changed since we did this more than 25 years ago,” Nick explains. “It's wonderful to see Dickinson offering the best support available.”

Best of all, these services are designed to build on the benefits of a Dickinson liberal-arts education. “We are a community of inquiry and curiosity, and this developmental model completely honors that liberal-arts tradition in a way that's responsive to the current marketplace,” says Sturm-Smith. “We know that liberal-arts graduates are incredible folks to hire, and we believe that adding this specificity [to career exploration and readiness] will help them rise to the top of employers’ lists.”

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS

Published November 25, 2024

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