20 Being College and Career Ready

Learning Objectives

In this section, you will

• Learn about college and career readiness

• Receive advice about steps you can take in college  to improve your career readiness

1. What Does It Mean to Be College and Career Ready?

College is a time for exploration. You may already have a clear idea of your career goals and what you need to reach them, or you might just begin to think about possible educational and career paths. The good news is that you will acquire a lot of valuable career skills in your classes, and the First Year Seminar offers many opportunities to explore different majors, transfer choices, and career paths and how they might match up with your own interests, values, and strengths.

Knowing what you truly want to gain from your college experience is the first step toward achieving it. However, reaching your goals does not necessarily mean you are college and career ready.

In general, you are a college- and career-ready student if you have gained the necessary knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors to achieve at least one of the following:

• Earn a certificate or degree in college

• Participate in career training

• Enter the workplace and succeed

For instance, if you are studying for an Associate in Arts (AA) or an Associate in Science (AS) degree, you are college-ready if you have the reading, writing, mathematics, social, and thinking skills to qualify for and succeed in the academic program of your choice.

Similarly, you are a career-ready student if you have the necessary knowledge and technical skills needed to be employed in your desired field. For example, if you are a community college student ready to be a nurse, you possess the knowledge and skills needed to secure an entry-level nursing position, such as patient monitoring and administering medication.

View the following video to hear what students think about their own college and career readiness:

Don’t worry if you feel like you are not ready to do all these things quite yet! The First Year Seminar will help you with creating foundational study skills and prepare you for success in future classes. The course will also help you explore what knowledge, skills,  and educational qualifications you will need to succeed in potential future careers.

2. Moving towards Career Readiness

Sometimes we may develop our career readiness without even being aware of it. For instance, you may have built your communication and problem solving skills for years by assisting family members or friends with navigating everyday tasks such as going to the doctor or doing their taxes. You might have developed your leadership and teamwork skills through volunteer work or other forms of engagement in your community. In the First Year Seminar and other college classes, you strengthen your career and self-development and professionalism, develop your critical thinking skills, learn to work with digital tools, and encounter diverse perspectives. Part of becoming confident that you are career ready is understanding what exactly this means. As you reflect on the various skills and experiences that help you develop your career readiness, consider the National Association of College and Employer’s (NACE) career readiness competencies:

As the video highlights, there are eight NACE career readiness competencies:

1. Career & Self-Development: Proactively managing one’s career, identifying strengths/weaknesses, and seeking learning opportunities.

2. Communication: Clearly exchanging information, active listening, and persuading others.

3. Critical Thinking: Analyzing issues, making decisions, and overcoming problems using logic.

4. Equity & Inclusion: Demonstrating awareness, understanding, and respect for diverse perspectives.

5. Leadership: Leveraging strengths to achieve common goals, managing conflict, and mentoring.

6. Professionalism: Exhibiting integrity, accountability, and a strong work ethic.

7. Teamwork: Building collaborative relationships to work effectively with others.

8. Technology: Understanding and leveraging digital tools ethically to enhance productivity.

3. Career Readiness: A Testimony

“Learn What You Don’t Want” by Jamie Edwards

We can learn a lot from other people’s experiences. One crucial part of being successful in college is to take advantage of the many resources available. Read the following personal story and consider the helpful advice the author shares:

For a long time, my plan had always been to be a kindergarten teacher. But when I began my undergraduate degree I fell into that ever-growing pool of college students who changed their major three times before graduation. I was swayed by family members, my peers, and the economy, but I eventually realized that I was investing my education in the wrong areas for the wrong reasons. It shouldn’t just be about salaries and job security. I needed to find that personal attachment.

At eighteen, it’s hard to see your entire life spread out before you. College may feel like a free-for-all at times, but the reality is that it’s one of the most defining times of our lives. It should never be squandered. I started to imagine my life beyond college—what I found important and the type of lifestyle I wanted in the end. I started thinking about the classes that I was actually interested in—the ones that I looked forward to each week and arrived early just so I could get a seat up front.

A turning point for me was when I took the advice of a campus mentor and enrolled in a career exploration course. I learned more about myself in that class than I had in my entire three years at college prior to taking it. It showed me that my passion was something I had always thought about but never thought about as a career. In high school, I could sit in the Guidance Office for hours on end. I enjoyed listening to others—hearing and helping people work through their struggles.

I had seen firsthand how detrimental the absence of career classes can be to someone’s future. Through this realization and my participation in my career exploration class, I saw a viable future in the Higher Education Administration field. As I dove deeper, I was opened to an incredible amount of unique and diverse opportunities to work with students. My main approach was to get a taste anything to do with student services: I shadowed a career counselor in a career services office, attended graduate school fairs and informational sessions, discussed the Higher Education Administration Program with several staff at my college, and most importantly, I talked with my internship coordinator (my mentor). From there, I completed an internship in my prospective field, which gave me a wealth of insight and skills that directly related to my future career goals.

From where I sit now—my former personal and professional struggles in tow—I offer up some pieces of advice that were crucial to getting me where I am today. Whether you are uncertain about your major and career choices and are looking for guidance or already have a clearly defined career path, I suggest the following:

1. Find a mentor—For me, everything began there. Without my mentor, I wouldn’t have done any of the other items I’m about to suggest. Finding the right mentor is crucial. Look for someone who can complement your personality (typically someone who’s the opposite of you). My advice would be to look beyond your direct supervisor for mentorship. It’s important to create an open forum with your mentor, because there may be a conflict of interest as you discuss work issues and other job opportunities. Potential mentors to consider are an instructor on campus, your academic advisor, a professional currently working in your prospective field, someone you admire in your community, or anyone in your network of friends or family that you feel comfortable discussing your future goals with.

2. Enroll in a Career Exploration/Planning course, or something similar [Note: At LaGuardia, the First Year Seminar covers career and major exploration, so you are already in the right place!]—Even if you do not see the effects of this course immediately (such as dramatically changing your major), you will notice the impact down the road. Making educated career choices and learning job readiness skills will always pay off in the end. Through my career exploration class, I learned how to relate my personality and values to potential career fields. These self-assessments changed my entire thought process, and I see that influence daily. Beyond changing the way you think, the knowledge you gain about effective job search strategies is invaluable. Learning how to write purposeful résumés and cover letters, finding the right approach to the interview process, and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses are just a few of the benefits you can gain from these types of courses.

3. Complete a Job Shadow and/or Informational Interview—No amount of online research is going to give you the same experience as seeing a job at the front line. In a job shadow or an informational interview, you’re able to explore options with no commitment and see how your in-class experience can carry over to a real world setting. Additionally, you’re expanding your professional network by having that personal involvement. You never know how the connections you make might benefit you in the future. My only regret about job shadowing in college is that I didn’t do it sooner.

4. Do an Internship—A main source of frustration for recent grads is the inability to secure an entry-level position without experience. “How do I get a job to gain experience when I can’t get a job without experience?” This is how: do an internship or two! Most colleges even have a course where you can obtain credit for doing it! Not only will you earn credits towards graduation, but you’ll gain the necessary experience to put on your résumé and to discuss in future interviews. Having completed four internships throughout my college career, I can’t say they were all great. However, I don’t regret a single one. The first one showed me the type of field I didn’t want to work in. The second confirmed that I was heading in the right direction with my career. My third and fourth internships introduced me to completely different areas of higher education which broadened my knowledge and narrowed my search simultaneously.

My takeaway is that sometimes you have to learn what you don’t want in order to find out what you do want. The more informed you are about career options through real life conversations and experiences, the better prepared you will be for your future and the more confident you will be in your career decisions. Always explore your options because even if you learn you hate it, at least you’re one step closer to finding what you love.

You will find additional information on all the options you have at LaGuardia in the section on Career Resources at LaGuardia below.

4. Distinguishing Job and Career

Part of being career ready is knowing the difference between a job and a career. So what is the difference? And do you plan to use college to help you seek one or the other?

There is no right or wrong answer, because motivations for being in college are so varied and different for each student, but you can take maximum advantage of your time in college if you develop a clear plan for what you want to accomplish. The table below shows some differences between a job and a career.

In summary, a job lets you enjoy at least a minimal level of financial security, and it requires you to show up and do what is required of you. In exchange, you get paid.

A career, on the other hand, is more of a means of achieving personal fulfillment through the jobs you hold. In a career, your jobs tend to follow a sequence that leads to increasing mastery, professional development, and personal and financial satisfaction. A career requires planning, knowledge, and skills, too. If it is to be a fulfilling career, it requires that you bring into play your full set of analytical, critical, and creative thinking skills. You will be called upon in a career to make informed decisions that will affect your life in both the short term and the long term. A career also lets you express your unique personality traits, skills, values, and interests. This is not to say that career paths are always straightforward and never change. As you grow and develop your personality, your interests and values may change, and you might shift towards a new career path.

REFERENCES, LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS

Achieve (2012, July 23). Student voices: what does it mean to be career ready? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pYqsShxqD4

Dawn, A (2026). Career planning and personal exploration. https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/71477/overview. Retrieved 8 June 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

Dillon, D. (2018). Blueprint for success in college: career decision making. Retrieved 8 June 2026, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Edwards, J. (2015). “Learn what you don’t want.” In Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom, edited by Thomas Priester. Retrieved 8 June 2026.  https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/foundations-of-academic-success/chapter/learn-what-you-dont-want/ . https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Georgia Southern University OCPD (2023, Nov. 20). NACE career readiness competencies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF83OevoW6U&t=41s

McGregory, Cory P. Career exploration. Foundations for College Success. https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/79259/overview. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.