Career Development Is Everyone’s Responsibility: Envisioning Educators as Career Influencers

Abstract

Significant world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have shifted the way that people of all ages view their careers and the meaning of work in their lives. While campus career services hold a mandate to facilitate student career readiness and success, it cannot accomplish this ambitious goal alone. Career influencers are student affairs educators, administrators, and faculty members who regularly interact with students on campus and can initiate meaningful career-related conversations—even if they do not hold career development expertise. The authors discuss the value of purpose narratives that students can construct to describe their experiences and help build resiliency during times of uncertainty. The conclusion provides recommendations for post-secondary educators to consider to effectively frame every student conversation as a career conversation.