Power Your Career
Whether you're about to enter the workforce or looking to advance your career, a lifetime of education — not just a four-year degree — is crucial to staying on top of your game. After all, the world is advancing in disruptive and unpredictable ways, with technology and business models evolving at a breakneck pace. Careers today need the right preparation and a clear roadmap from start to finish.
We're talking one-on-one career coaching, specialized certificate programs, free webinars that address the latest trends in your industry, and much more. It's all part of the expanded new resources that we offer at DCE, symbolized by the fall opening of our new high-tech learning facility.
Here are some examples of how we can help you turbocharge your career — and avoid dead ends.
Lifelong career support
Just graduated and ready to launch your career? UCI undergraduate alumni can get individualized guidance with UCI+One, an immersive program that addresses myriad aspects of making a splash in your chosen career path.
“The implementation of UCI+One is a testament to the commitment for success UCI holds for their scholars,” said Leigh Poirier, director of the UCI+One program. “By providing career exploration opportunities together with support for graduate school, or other relevant experiences, our participants will have a competitive advantage and greater career success after commencement. We hope to extend help and guidance to support lifelong success.”
Each cohort will be assigned an expert advisor who'll work with participants to identify and expand individual skills and aptitudes, then create a detailed career plan with long- and short-term goals. UCI+One also provides networking opportunities with industry professionals and other UC Irvine alumni, as well as full access to UCI libraries and campus events.
With the Career Launch program, current UCI students and alumni looking to burnish their credentials can apply their university credits toward some of the most popular DCE certificate programs, including Project Management and Business Administration, to hone their skills and stay current in today's fast-changing business world. Moreover, UCI Alumni Association members get a 10% discount toward tuition fees.
And there are a number of free, self-accessed Career Planning Modules that cover job searching, networking and more. Each one takes a practical approach with step-by-step guides that cover myriad topics.
The Inside Track
Want to move ahead in your company or change careers altogether? Career Coaching by InsideTrack — offered in partnership with the country's leading student-coaching provider — tailors individual coaching programs to suit each participant's needs. Matched by industry with each student, the coaches work one-on-one to monitor progress and provide support. New members receive their first month of service FREE with discount code “GetUCICoach.”
“With today's complex, ever-changing job market, UCI DCE takes very seriously our commitment to our students and alumni to support them in building a successful and rewarding career,” said Gary Matkin, Dean of Continuing Education, Distance Learning and Summer Session. “Our partnership with InsideTrack enables us to offer convenient, affordable access to the high-quality career planning services our students and alumni deserve.”
Education on demand
DCE also has a highly-popular Career Success Specialization MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), a 10-part series that fine-tunes marketability with practical training for career success and advancement. Offered in collaboration with Coursera, the modules include training in business communication skills, effective management tools, project management, time management and other essential topics. The course concludes with a capstone project that allows participants to integrate and apply all the skills they've learned.
For those who need to brush up on resume writing or interviewing skills, a number of free Career Planning Webinars are available on demand, offering expert guidance in personal branding, salary negotiation, even social networking — subjects not often touched on in traditional university curricula. And each quarter, the DCE offers a series of live webinars on the latest industry trends, new programs, and best practices, accessible at any time, making it easy to stay on top of current developments in your chosen field.
It's all about providing a lifetime of innovative solutions and career support, from the first steps into the workforce to every twist and turn along the way. And expect the DCE to continue finding new ways to evolve and adapt in an ever-changing world.
To learn more, visit our Career Resources page.