At a time when many first-year college students are still trying to figure out a major, those at Bryant University are already starting to think about their post-collegiate careers.

Now entering its third year as a required component of Bryant’s Impact Core curriculum, “Career Launch” is a one-credit course for first-year students that focuses on developing skills ranging from resume and cover letter writing to networking and finding internships. 

“Career Launch” is part of a general education requirement that aims to help students successfully navigate the college experience; others include the “Student Success” course, which teaches everything from “College 101” skills like time management and adjusting to campus social life; and having students engage in design-thinking principles through  the Innovation and Design Experience For All (IDEA) program.

 “With ‘Career Launch,’ we help first-years see how all of this is going to translate into internships and full-time jobs,” explains Veronica Stewart, Bryant’s director of career services who works within the Amica Center for Career Education.

Stewart says Bryant’s Amica Center has a strong suite of career development resources for individuals who seek them out, but the course helps ensure that all students get help plotting their career course when they first get on campus.

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“’Career Launch’ is a natural part of what we do at Bryant,” where internships, experiential learning, and other real-world interaction with the business community are core components of the university’s educational philosophy, adds Stewart, who is among several instructors teaching the course. 

The fact that students are increasingly getting into internship programs before their junior or senior years also weighed in favor of making “Career Launch” a first-year course, according to Stewart. 

“Career development, networking, experiential education — it's all part of a plan that includes four years of college and beyond,” she says. “We teach students to think about their careers at the beginning of their academic journey.”

 “We teach students to think about their careers at the beginning of their academic journey.”

The course curriculum incorporates many of the elements of career coaching that takes place at the Amica Center. 

“We want students to take time to explore their interests, values, skills, personality styles, and workplace preferences before they jump into an academic major or career plan,” Stewart says. "As much as Bryant students are driven and dedicated to achieve, we want them to slow down and understand that it's okay for career development to be a process.”

“One of their favorite parts of the course is learning how to utilize LinkedIn to build a network and start to touch base with alumni and recruiters,” Stewart notes. “We practice interview skills in class, and this year we’ve had more conversation about the professional workplace environment, because a lot of students have questions about company culture and how to dress for work.”

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Panel discussions with Bryant alumni are also a popular part of the course.

“Students love being able to interact with professionals,” says Stewart. “They like having the information and the tools they need to feel prepared for their next steps.”

“Students love being able to interact with professionals. They like having the information and the tools they need to feel prepared for their next steps.”

Classwork is mostly hands-on, says Stewart. “All assignments and homework are all directly related to practicing the skills that we talk about in class,” she says.

Stewart, who has been a career-development professional for more than two decades, says being in the classroom teaching “Career Launch” has been rewarding for her, as well. 

“More students are ready to embark on experiential education earlier because they realize the value of building their experience and skills over time,” says Stewart. “Taking the initiative to intentionally choose a major, find an industry or a company or an occupation that you're passionate about, and then go out and market yourself effectively takes a whole separate skill set from what a lot of us naturally learn in school. It’s very exciting for me to see students gain those skills.”