Career Pathways and Professional Skills

This unit guides students through career exploration, educational pathway decisions, and practical workplace skills that support successful job attainment and career growth. Students practice networking, interviewing, communication, stress and time management, and evaluate options for further education or entrepreneurship to prepare for career planning and next-unit portfolio/application work.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and compare career options, graduate program formats (online vs. in-person), program length, costs, and likely return on investment to support informed education and career decisions
• Apply informational interviewing and networking strategies to develop a personalized 6‑month career development plan with target contacts, outreach steps, and measurable milestones
• Demonstrate professional communication, public speaking, and interview techniques by delivering a short presentation and completing a mock interview that addresses behavioral questions and workplace scenarios
• Evaluate personal strengths, stress- and time-management practices, and ethical negotiation choices to decide between career change, further education, or entrepreneurial pursuits and justify the chosen pathway