Oglethorpe University’s unique approach to career readiness through its robust liberal arts curriculum will be further enhanced by the launch of two new career communities during this year’s Career Fair at the Turner Lynch Campus Center Oct. 24.
The first two of these new groups will be a Healthcare Career Community and a Communications Career Community. The Business Career Community will begin in Spring Semester.
“When a student enrolls at Oglethorpe, they are challenged in the classroom and equipped for success with a variety of personally tailored resources,” said Oglethorpe President Kathryn McClymond. “The new career communities will help them connect with others pursuing similar interests and help them discover pathways to build a career in that profession.”
Dr. Lisa Conley, Director of Career Development, was tasked in the summer of 2024 with bringing the concept of career communities to life at Oglethorpe. She is intentionally designing the career communities so that students with similar career aspirations can gather, support each other, build networking contacts and experience career enrichment opportunities beyond their academic coursework.
The intentional focus for the fall semester will be launching the first two career communities and helping the students, faculty and staff understand the purpose. Conley is planning a series of events and trips designed to expose students to the real-world conditions of healthcare and communications. The first Communications Career Community event will feature Jessi Marquardt, talent acquisition manager from Enterprise Mobility, in a session for students from 1 to 2 p.m., Nov. 13, in Lupton Auditorium.
“Career communities represent a powerful strategy to help students understand how the knowledge and skills developed in their academic programs and co-curricular activities prepare them for a wide range of professional opportunities,” Conley said. “Career communities create a framework to self-reflect on transferable knowledge and skills, explore different kinds of professional environments and positions and build networks designed to promote lifelong success.”
Career communities aim to provide industry-specific resources, opportunities and connections for all students regardless of academic discipline. It’s important for students to understand that the selection of a major does not force them into one career. They are encouraged to see a major as unlocking several career opportunities.
“I like to describe this process with a tree metaphor,” Conley said. “Your career pathways are the branches, and your internships and jobs are the leaves, flowers and fruit. A career can include several roles over many years, with each new job influenced by previous learning experiences, increased education, and life changes.”
Students interested in the Healthcare and Communications communities can expect to receive information about signing up to learn more after the career fair. As awareness grows and understanding of the concept spreads, Career Development will offer more campus programming and trips to businesses to ensure students have a meaningful experience.
