Abstract
This chapter details the Career Identity Program at North Carolina State University and poses the concept of students’ career identity as a necessary construct in choosing their major and creating a values-based, purpose-driven career path. The literature on student identity development largely excludes discussions around career identity, which is defined as the self-awareness of one’s values, beliefs, goals, abilities, purpose, and passion as it relates to career. Similarly, much of the career-related programming at colleges and universities focuses on the task of obtaining employment rather than the process by which students discover careers that fit their personality, strengths, and interests. Yet, students’ ability to determine their career identity has implications for retention, academic success, time to degree, career readiness, and career satisfaction. The Career Development Center at NCSU recognized this gap and created an initiative, the Career Identity Program, for first-year students to help them discover their career identity and set them on the path toward entering a meaningful career. This chapter includes a description of the Career Identity Program including a discussion of the value of coaching in helping students along their career identity exploration.
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Ghosal, L.N., Worsham, R., Miller, C. (2021). Developing Students’ Career Identity from Choice of Major to a Values-Driven Career Plan. In: Huijser, H., Kek, M., Padró, F.F. (eds) Student Support Services. University Development and Administration. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3364-4_22-1
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