CC Career-Connected Journey Program
Your experiences are already shaping your future. Make the connections.
What you learn in class is only part of your CC education. Research, campus employment, community engagement, internships, leadership, creative work, relationships and unexpected discoveries also shape who you are becoming and what you might do next.
The Career-Connected CC Journey helps you approach those experiences more purposefully, recognize how you are growing and connect your liberal arts education to meaningful possibilities. You do not need to know exactly where you are going to take a useful next step.
Open the CC Career-Connected Journey in Canvas
What is the CC Career-Connected Journey?
It is a flexible framework that helps you connect learning and experiences throughout your Colorado College journey. There is no single path to figuring out what comes next. It gives you a practical way to notice what you are learning, make informed choices, build on your experiences and adapt as your interests and circumstances change.Here, career is broader than a first job. It includes the evolving ways you apply your knowledge, strengths, interests and values through work, graduate or professional education, service, creative pursuits and other contributions.
Explore. Develop. Connect. Reflect.
These are four connected career-development practices that you return to throughout your CC journey. There is no required order: begin wherever it is most useful and revisit the practices as your interests and circumstances change.
EXPLORE - Understand yourself and investigate possibilities
Learn more about your interests, strengths, values, identities and questions. Explore academic paths, experiences, communities, fields of work and other possibilities that might fit what matters to you.
DEVELOP - Build your capabilities and prepare to participate
Develop competencies through coursework and experience. Build the tools, knowledge, confidence and strategies you need to pursue opportunities and contribute effectively.
CONNECT - Build relationships and make the connections
Connect with faculty, staff, peers, alumni, employers and communities. Link what you are learning and experiencing to possible paths, opportunities and purposes.
REFLECT - Make meaning and decide what comes next
Pause to consider what an experience taught you about yourself and the world. Put your learning and growth into words, consider how your experiences connect and use those insights to choose or revise a next step.
Career development happens everywhere at CC
A career-connected activity is any experience that helps you explore, develop, connect or reflect. It does not have to be sponsored by the Career Center, and it does not have to look like a traditional internship.
Examples include:
- Experiential learning: an internship, campus job, community-engaged project, volunteer role or study-away experience
- Relationships and exploration: a conversation with an adviser, faculty member, alum, employer, graduate program or community partner
- Skill and opportunity preparation: a workshop, resume review, practice interview, career event or application process
- Leadership and involvement: a student organization, athletics, performance, peer leadership role or other campus involvement
- Academic learning: a course, class project, research experience, field study or creative project
Why participate?
The goal is to help you get more from experiences you may already be having and make more intentional choices about what to pursue next.
Know yourself better: recognize interests, strengths, values, identities and questions that can guide your choices.
Discover possibilities and people: learn about experiences and paths you may not have encountered and connect with people who can offer perspective, encouragement, information and access.
Build capabilities and confidence: practice career-readiness competencies and prepare to pursue opportunities.
Tell your story: explain what you learned and how your CC experiences have prepared you to contribute.
Take a useful next step: turn reflection into an action you can take now, even when the longer-term destination is still uncertain.
First-year students: Start where you are
Start your first year off by completing at least one approved career-connected activity in Canvas. Choose what would be most useful to you now. You are encouraged to engage with all four practices over time, but you do not need to complete one activity in each practice right away.
For first-year students, completing at least one approved activity is also one requirement for eligibility for designated experiential-opportunity funding, including Venture Grants, Internship Funding, SCoRe and related programs. Completing an activity does not guarantee funding; each program has its own application, selection and eligibility requirements.
Go to the CC Career-Connected Journey Canvas Course Now
Common Questions
Do I have to complete the practices in order?
No. These career development practices are iterative. Start with what would be most useful now and return to the practices as your questions and goals change.
Is this only for students who are undecided?
No. The framework is useful whether you have no idea what comes next, several possibilities in mind or a direction you already want to test and refine.
Can an activity outside the Career Center count?
Yes. Career development happens across your CC experience. Use the "Other Activity" option in Canvas when an experience is not already listed.
Does every activity include reflection?
Yes. A brief reflection helps turn participation into learning. The Reflect practice also includes deeper opportunities to connect experiences, articulate growth and decide what comes next.