Why Sophomore Year is a Career Development Sweet Spot
In response to increasing questions about the value of higher education, many colleges and universities have made career advising, career pathways, and student outcomes a highlight of their admissions/recruitment process. Career centers often focus a lot of energy on getting first-year students in the door of the career center or, at the very least, prodding them to explore careers within first-year seminars.
Fewer institutions have succeeded in leveraging opportunities to engage second-year (or sophomore) students in career exploration and planning. This is a missed opportunity for meaningful engagement at a pivotal time for many students, often characterized by a lack of institutional structured support, especially compared to their first-year experience.