With an uncertain job market and the disruption of the workplace due to the pandemic, recent graduates have faced a formidable first year of their post-college careers. In supporting Pratt Institute’s 2020 graduates, the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) has involved students and alumni in a range of online programming to facilitate networking and professional development. These initiatives have put the students at the center, empowering them to lead conversations about the interests, ideas, and questions that they want to pursue in their careers.
One of these programs was Talk Now which CCPD ran over the summer and was aimed at graduating seniors. It was organized by and for these newest Pratt alumni to hear what was happening in their industries first-hand, with a goal of inspiring them to tackle the challenge of beginning a practice during a pandemic. “They were graduating and an issue was that they were not getting to meet professionals to talk,” said Deborah computer science degree jobs, associate director of career development and engagement. “Online, they were getting to meet them in a way they never could before, where they’re in their homes working.”
The series was eventually expanded to include all students beyond just the 2020 graduating class, with almost 300 students attending conversations with about 130 employers from a variety of disciplines. The students helped identify the professionals who were invited and led all of the discussions, which ranged from portfolio development to the future of work, taking advantage of the virtual platform to make the dialogues international. Each event was intimate, with small group sessions held over Zoom, and the students and professionals had the opportunity to stay connected afterward.
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