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Planning for the future can be anxiety-inducing, but the University of Florida’s Career Connections Center is dedicated to helping students along the way. This past summer, the center launched a model that makes it easier for students explore industries and opportunities, learn about skills needed and build social capital that will lead them toward graduation success.

Career Pathways is a new initiative designed around creating avenues for students to explore beyond their declared majors and learn about a variety of different career fields using related skills sets. This initiative includes customizable career development programming and resources, allowing students to choose from six groups of related industries. The model enables students to explore groups of related industries.

“Major doesn’t equal career,” said Julia Vollrath, associate director of campus initiatives and career pathways. “Our goal is to broaden students’ understanding of how they can apply their degrees, increase access for students and work more intentionally within their academic programs.”

The six Career Pathways — science, technology, engineering and mathematics; arts, communications, media and marketing; healthcare and health science; business, public service and tourism; human services, consulting and education; and architecture, manufacturing, natural resources and agriculture — were identified based on the 16 career clusters outlined by O*Net and grouped together based on which industries shared common knowledge and skills.

Unlike past models where career exploration was more closely tied to degree, the new Career Pathways model allows students to explore career resources, programs and industry connections no matter their major.

“This model speaks more to what industry is saying,” Vollrath said. “When we’re working with employers, they’re looking for all majors for their industry. This way, students can be more open to various employment opportunities.”

Each pathway has at least one career coach to support students interested in those industries.

Allie Simon, associate director for career engagement, said she encourages students to look out for career fairs, career labs, workshops, tabling and other events Career Pathways coaches will be hosting across campus.

“Career Pathways provides opportunities to connect with alumni, employers and each other, which is a central part of the model,” she said.

Ultimately, Vollrath said she hopes Career Pathways will enable students to explore career options they otherwise might not have considered.

“We’re helping to educate them on what’s out there and how to get connected,” she said.

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Artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming increasingly intertwined in the job market, building skills in this area can give you a competitive advantage for a successful job search. The University of Florida’s Career Connections Center is dedicated to ensuring students are prepared with competencies to engage with AI by the time they graduate.

AI refers to the growing ability of machines to demonstrate human intelligence and problem-solving skills. In the workplace, this technology is also commonly used both during the recruitment and hiring processes.

Ja’Net Glover, senior director of career services, said the center has been engaged in a concerted effort to familiarize Gators of all disciplines with the ever-growing significance of AI.

“We want our students to be aware that AI is already utilized in all disciplines,” she said. “What could this look like for careers and jobs? But also, how do you work alongside these tools for success?”

The university currently promotes approximately 200 courses focused on AI, which have been taken by more than 6,000 students this year alone. Over the course of the last year, the career center hosted six programs about AI’s impact on the workforce.

The center’s commitment to AI education is constantly expanding.

By employing an AI-specific career coach to work within the center, students will have access to focused education centered on both careers within AI and the ways the technology is utilized in other professions.

For example, students interested in entering the field of finance may work alongside AI functions such as analyzing data, as employers have shared with the center.

“The AI coach would help students understand the importance of critical thinking, the ethics and biases of information and being intuitive about whether data is comprehensive,” Glover said.

The center is also onboarding Quinncia, an AI program designed to improve student engagement with career services, this fall.

Quinncia contains an AI-enabled resume enhancement feature that offers suggestions and overall feedback based on the student’s desired industry. Students can also engage with the program’s mock interview tool, which creates a faux interview setting and provides users with a final score based on facial expressions, hand gestures, eye contact, use of filler words and other factors.

“In a way, this tool helps students become more competitive,” Glover said. “Having access to the program before interacting with an AI screening tool during the application and interview process — practicing in that space and considering the features and components — is valuable.”

Another major development in AI education at UF is the establishment of the AI Academic Initiative Center, which was announced in March 2022. In addition to continuing efforts to prepare students for the post-graduation job search, the AI Center will also work closely with the Career Connections Center on engaging with industries for talent acquisition.

Nearly 2,000 companies come to campus each year through Career Connections Center events. This partnership will bolster the university’s ability to provide students with pathways to internships and full-time jobs that will require the use of AI in their everyday work.

“The AI Center is going to give the university a centralized arm to route interest and efforts around artificial intelligence,” Glover said. “It's going to give a level of accountability and commitment to all the work that's happening.”

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First-time Gators may have noticed two new holds on their accounts this semester. These are part of the Career Prep process — a newly implemented program to encourage career exploration and professional development.

“It's the university's commitment to students' professional growth,” said Angel Iverson, director for career foundations in the Division of Student Life Career Connections Center. “There are many partners at UF who are working collaboratively to ensure students are aware of all the opportunities in front of them.”

Holds began appearing for students in their first semester at UF — including transfer, readmitted or traditional first-year students — on June 28, but they will not prevent registration until March 2023.

Sitting down with Iverson and Belen Farias, assistant director of marketing and strategic communications in Student Life, they explained the process, what it requires and how it will help students from day one.

The Career Prep process is split into two steps and, in total, takes about 45 minutes to complete.

To start, students must complete a Career Prep learning module in Canvas that will introduce them to a variety of career resources.

  One valuable resource students will be exposed to through the module is CHOMP, an interactive, online program designed to help users explore potential majors and career options. The system includes a series of self-assessments, prompting students to consider their own career readiness and how different fields of study filter into job opportunities.

By proactively venturing into major and career planning during their first semester, students can set themselves up for success later down the line and connect the dots early on between their experiences, skill-building and expertise.

“They can learn about career resources and preparation early to help them make more informed academic and career decisions,” Iverson said.

Experimenting with CHOMP also enables first-time UF students to think “outside the box” about their futures, said Libby Adkins, a third-year career ambassador with the Career Connections Center.

“When you get here as a freshman, you’re not really going to know what you want to do,” she said. “You’re going to want to get your hands in different things. Taking CHOMP gives you a good idea of places to start, and it gives you an idea of all the kinds of places you can go with the skills you have.”

Students participating in the module will also engage with tools to bolster understanding of on-campus resources that support their career development, including those provided by the Career Connections Center. This includes the Center’s eight-semester Career Readiness Guide, which outlines and explains in detail approximately 50 specific actions students can take throughout their college careers to prepare themselves to enter the job market and when the optimal time is to consider those actions.

To clear the second hold, students need to activate their Gator CareerLink account. CareerLink is an online portal that offers University of Florida students and alumni access to a host of career-related information and support. Once students log in to their account, they will be met with hundreds of job and internship listings, upcoming events and countless other tips and opportunities.

Adkins said that she encourages all incoming Gators to familiarize themselves with the resources provided by the Career Connections Center. In addition to resume and cover letter review, the center also offers general career advice and one-on-one career coaching for students the moment they step foot onto campus.

“Building that relationship with a career coach early and being able to continuously go back and talk with them can be super beneficial for deciding what you want to do and helping you get internships, full-time job experience and guidance throughout school,” Adkins said.

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