New Career Planning Center at Middlesex College Offers Personalized Support for Students’ Futures
The Career Readiness and Planning Center is a hub for students interested in discovering a fulfilling career path and how to take the next steps on the journey.
Middlesex College student Jayden Gonzalez with office assistant Damaris Fernandez and student Keanu Wilson at the Career Readiness and Planning Center
The newly opened Career Readiness and Planning Center at Johnson Learning Center Room 243 at Middlesex College, previously the Adaptive Learning Lab, offers support services to help students navigate their interests and align them with real-world job opportunities.
“I use the analogy when I speak to students that [as kids] we got asked what we want to be when we grow up, and we all throw out different answers. For a lot of students, the next time they get asked that question is when they’re filling out a college application,” said Jamar Johnson, manager of Student Success Services. “Students come in with all these ideas about what they think they want to do and where they want to go. What we do is make sure it’s a good match, and we do that through exploration.”
Johnson has been working with students since October, connecting their interests with the right course of study at Middlesex College and then outlining related work opportunities.
“We are super excited to be able to provide something in a physical space for our students to come and get these services and get placed on the right track,” said Ria Gaviria, director of Academic, Career, and Transfer Services. “This is part of our overall definition of student success.”
The Career Readiness and Planning Center is positioned to meet students wherever they are in their career-finding mission. Students can do interviews and personality tests to ascertain what careers are the right fit and make sure that their academic work is related to that field. The Center can also provide résumé-building advice, job-shadow opportunities, and internships using Middlesex College’s connection to Middlesex County and its Summer Internship program.
Students interested are advised to make an appointment either through Calendly or by sending an email to CareerReady@middlesexcc.edu.
Johnson said it doesn’t matter where students are in their academic journey at Middlesex College—the Center is ready to help.
“It varies depending on the student,” Johnson said. “A lot of our focus tends to go towards incoming students, because they are the most open and unsure of where they are going, but it can also be for students who are starting to look for internships or working on their resume or students closer to transferring out or going into the workforce.”
