Career & Experience
a CraftedPath Lens for career direction, college experience, and life-after-college readiness
As families begin to evaluate colleges, this lens can help them weigh the importance of career-connected features alongside the broader college experience.
- Career-connected features might include: support for one or more majors of interest, direct-admit or restricted-entry programs, internships, clinical experiences, co-op programs, undergraduate research, graduate-school preparation, licensure pathways, employer connections, advising, or other elements that help connect college to future work.
- Features relating to the broader college experience might include feeling a sense of belonging, various aspects of campus life, friendships, athletics, faith or values support, creative opportunities, mental health support, neurodivergence support, leadership development, service, travel, or a particular kind of community or club opportunity.
This lens helps families consider both sides of that conversation, and the factors that are most important to them.
Take the Career and Experience Diagnostic
The Career & Experience Lens
What it can help you notice
Career + Experience: The family values both future-direction support and a rich developmental environment
Career Focus: Career-connected features may matter more than the broader traditional college experience
Experience Focus: Growth, belonging, and factors relating to college life and experience matter most
Clarify the Why: The family may need more reflection before college becomes a focused strategy
Explore the Four Patterns
Visit any of these core pages to learn more about the patterns this lens highlights.
A note about mixed results
Some survey respondents will have results that fall between the core patterns on one or more dimensions. Such a result might appear when answers vary depending on the student, the college, the major, or the family situation.
To interpret your result, use the core patterns as reference points. Notice which descriptions feel most relevant, which do not quite fit, and what questions they raise for your next stage of planning.
The Getting Your Bearings course will offer additional guidance for comparing results across the CraftedPath lenses and turning your reflections into next steps.
Jane Chamberlain
Jane Chamberlain, a Certified Educational Planner, is the founder and lead consultant of Craft College and Career Catalyst.
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