Professional Development Opportunities for Students: Blocks 7-8, 2019

As parents and family members, the most valuable things you can do to help your student with career planning are to listen – and to help your student find information. Encourage your student to take advantage of the many professional development opportunities offered through the Career Center in the final two blocks of the academic year.

Opportunities include:

Professional Development Boot Camp

Summer 2019 marks the inaugural year of CC’s new Edge Internship Program, in which nine selected students will apply their liberal arts experience to perform a variety of business and technology functions in the corporate sector. An essential aspect of this robust new program is a pre-internship “boot camp” during Block Break 7, which will equip students with competencies ranging from goal setting and time management to business etiquette, interpersonal communication, and workplace technology.

Several of the sessions on Thursday, April 18 will be open to the entire student body. Encourage your students to register to attend selected workshops via Handshake, the Career Center’s online career management platform.

Workshops will also be offered during Block 8 to encourage students to be adequately prepared for their varied summer internships. Students can find event details in Handshake.

Rising Senior Symposium

The Rising Senior Symposium is a two-day event open to students who will be seniors in the 2019-20 academic year (current juniors)  and who want to prepare themselves for their transition out of CC.

The Rising Senior Symposium will again offer two tracks: a General Track, serving students interested in all industries; and a Consulting, Finance, and Business Track, serving students interested in competitive business opportunities. Both rising seniors (current juniors) and rising juniors (current sophomores) are encouraged to apply for the Consulting, Finance, and Business Track due to the hiring cycle for these industries.

Students will learn how to become strong interview candidates; how to tell the stories of their CC education; how to network, and why networking is a critical part of career success; how to leverage the CC alumni network to find jobs and build connections; how to prepare to apply for grad school; and more!

The Rising Senior Symposium is free with a refundable deposit, and includes a housing extension until Saturday, May 18, so long as students successfully complete the entire program. Encourage your student to learn how to apply on the Career Center’s website.

Career Center Workshops

We offer a robust schedule of professional development workshops throughout the school year. Opportunities in the next two blocks that you may want to encourage your student to attend include:

A CC Student’s Guide to Negotiating Total Compensation
Many students know they should negotiate their salaries. But do they know that they can negotiate their benefits, too? Executive-in-Residence Kyle Samuel ’92, President of M&T Insurance Agency and Senior Vice President of M&T Bank, will discuss all of the soft benefits that companies offer their employees and empower CC students to know their worth and negotiate total compensation that works for them. RSVP on Handshake.

Living with Student Loans (Senior Transition Series)
Seniors graduating with student loans are invited to this Senior Transition Series workshop, where the Financial Aid department will address how students can navigate the process of graduating with and managing student loans. RSVP on Handshake.

Free Professional Headshots
Every block, CC students are invited to have their professional portrait taken – for free! – for use on their LinkedIn profiles and other professional platforms. RSVP on Handshake for sessions offered during Block 7 and Block 8.

Senior GYST (Get Your Stuff Together) Club
Graduating seniors are invited to our Senior GYST (Get Your Stuff Together) club, which is a space for seniors to work on and discuss their post-grad plans. Career Coaches are on hand to answer questions. Learn more.

Career Studio
Students sticking around on campus every Thursday of Block Break are invited to Career Studio, a self-structured, drop-in style space for students to work independently on their career prep. Career Coaches are on hand to answer questions. Learn more.


Parents and families are among a student’s most valuable resources as they work on career planning and preparation. We encourage you to stay informed about the many professional development opportunities we offer by checking our Workshops & Events page and guiding your student towards our events.

Students may always schedule an appointment with us through Handshake and visit our office during Drop-In Hours.

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