Preparing College Students for Career Success

Preparing College Students for Career Success

By: Nichole Torpey-Saboe

Vice President, Research at Strada Education Foundation


Today's students are seeking education that helps them fulfill their aspirations. They deserve an education that lives up to their hopes and dreams, allowing them to not only complete a degree, but also secure careers and opportunities that are fulfilling, ensure economic stability, and enable them to thrive. 

We have insights into what can help students achieve these outcomes, and two of the most promising practices are education-to-career guidance and coaching and work-based learning. Research indicates that both education-to-career guidance and work-based learning are tied to stronger post-completion outcomes, including higher earnings, career satisfaction, and goal fulfillment. This makes sense. Students need information and support to identify and achieve their goals, and they need opportunities to acquire professional skills, experience, and a network before they graduate.

The inaugural State Opportunity Index report found that fewer than 1 in 4 recent graduates reported that they had received coaching and guidance about connecting their education to a career, and only about a quarter of graduates had participated in a paid internship experience. Too few students are currently gaining these powerful experiences–so we would like to help leaders gain information about their institutions and make a strong case for investing in these areas.

We offer the opportunity for campuses to learn more about the experiences of their students with education-to-career coaching and with work-based learning. Because we believe in these practices and in America’s public colleges and universities, we are extending an invitation for each institution to participate in the State Opportunity Index survey and to receive confidential and benchmarked results, free of cost. It is our hope that this information will equip campus leaders and their teams with the baseline information they need to build a plan for strong postcompletion outcomes for their students and to advocate for investments in these areas with their state partners, donors and within their campuses.

We know that there are bright spots around the country, and we want to lift up and learn from them. We also know that a deeper dive may reveal uneven access to these experiences–both across institutions as well as within them–thus helping college and university leaders identify priorities for increased focus, resources, and support from partners. Individual campus data will not be publicly available. Instead, our goal is to provide leaders with actionable insights for their own institution. 

Institutions from 28 states have already signed on. If you would find value in understanding more about your students’ experiences and how they compare to those of their peers in your state and across the country, we hope you will join the 2025 State Opportunity Index survey. Please contact summer.casillas@stradaeducation.org for more information.

Sobia Bashir

Driving Traffic, Boosting Sales & Generating Leads for Website | 3+ Years of Experience |

1mo

Thank you for sharing this opportunity to participate in the 2025 State Opportunity Index survey.

Brian D. Reed, PhD

Associate Vice President Driven by Student Academic Success, Wellness, & Career Readiness > Visionary Leader Building Academic Mission via Strategic Oversight & Leadership of Student Success Initiatives

1mo

Great, informative survey that has provided us with actionable data.

Louise E. Jackson

Director, University Career Center; Leadership Development Specialist & Career Coach

1mo

Matt Holliday Tracy Pattok

Dr. Julie Payne-Kirchmeier

Inaugural Vice President For Student Success at Indiana University

1mo

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