Career Takeoff Conference

Introduction: The Wheel of Life
How’s your health? Are you getting to see your friends and family enough? And what does any of this have to do with career planning? We bring our whole selves to work and, in a perfect world, can balance all aspects of it at the same time. In reality, however, we often experience that while parts of our lives are flourishing, others are not ideal. This session will set you up for the rest of the day by checking in on your own wheel of life and seeing where you might benefit from some recalibration.

Empowering Your Finances
Personal Finance - you know it's important, but are you actually doing anything to manage and maximize your budget? And if you are, are you doing it in a way that works for your personal situation and lifestyle? In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to turn personal finance into a life skill that empowers you to make smart decisions with your money. And because it needs saying, there is no “wrong” way to spend your money - we're just providing you with strategies and tools to feel confident in your decisions. Say buh-BYE to guilt-shaming haters and hello to building your wealth.

Build Credibility and Promote Your Personal Brand
Remember when you first learned that having a LinkedIn profile was necessary for the job search process? You probably spent a lot of time selecting the right photo, creating the “about” section, and including all the important school and work details. But as you sit comfortably in your first or second post-college role, how important is LinkedIn? Spoiler Alert: VERY! Your LinkedIn profile is your super tool to help you elevate your credibility and brand, establish yourself as a thought leader, and network strategically. Learn how.

Break

Mentors and Sponsors
Countless books and research have detailed the benefits of mentorship for young professionals in terms of career advancement and psychosocial functioning (in other words feeling confident and competent about the job you are doing). But you aren’t limited to just one mentor, an all-knowing guru who can guide your career advancement. In this session, we will explore mentorship and its partner, sponsorship, so that you can rethink the roles your network already fills and in what ways you want it to grow.

The Mindful Professional
In our post-pandemic work culture, employees are reporting stress, anxiety, and loneliness at record highs; four out of every ten US employees say their job is negatively impacting their mental health. Let’s face it - burnout is real and exhausting to experience. But the good news is there are ways you can address it or, even better, prevent it from happening in the first place. This interactive mindfulness workshop will address self-regulation, mindfulness, and self-care for young professionals so you can cultivate steadiness, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence in times of stress and upheaval. Learn practical steps you can take to improve the quality of your mental health.

Advising Circles
Developing a successful career partly stems from having a strong network of professionals who can help you through challenges. Meet with an advisor and small peer group to discuss and problem-solve common obstacles that occur early in one’s career. Attendees will meet with their advising circle once during the conference and twice afterward.