“For many students, choosing a career field can be one of the most anxiety-inducing decisions of their lives,” according to Jen Hoffmann, assistant director of experiential learning at OSU-Cascades. In response, the university has launched a program — possibly the only one of its kind in the nation — that integrates career development into coursework each and every academic term — from students’ first year through to graduation.
Called Cascades Edge, and created with the help of faculty, career experts, academic advisors, employers, and parents and prospective students, the comprehensive program addresses “concerns about college debt and the value of a college education in preparing students for meaningful careers,” said Blair Garland, chief of marketing and community relations.
Traditionally, college career centers took on the role of preparing students for professional success, he added. “And they were invaluable — but only if students accessed them.”
Not only does Cascades Edge transcend traditional college career centers in scope, but it addresses a challenge many university career centers face. Nationwide, 78% of college students rarely or never access a campus career office, according to a 2018 Strada-Gallup survey. And underrepresented students such as first-generation students and students of color — the former comprised 23% of first-year students at OSU-Cascades in 2023, while the latter comprised 21.2% — are often less likely to seek career center services.
“We believe,” said Garland, “that we have developed a solution that will bring the career center to every student at OSU-Cascades and give them the core skills to reap the most value from their tuition investment.”
Garland, who led the ideation phase of the project and now serves in an advisory capacity, added that Cascades Edge “provides a steady dose of career development tools, threaded through both the academic curriculum and the student experience. These tools apply not just to a career, but also to life.”
Explore It, Design It, Land It
Students experience Cascades Edge during the first year of enrollment, when they take a course focused on self-discovery — exploring their strengths, values, and interests, and how they tie into academic majors offered at OSU-Cascades and related career paths. This exploratory phase also includes creating a draft resume; building soft skills through involvement in student government and clubs/organizations; and evaluating the ROI (return on investment) of potential careers in terms of meeting their financial obligations (such as student debt) and goals.
The second phase, designed to give direction and purpose to the students’ academic career, centers around creating a mission statement and an action plan. In Garland’s words, “these components — which include identifying what kind of degree is needed, and which classes to take — give students a map, the sense of a mission, and buy-in — helping them define what personal success looks like.”
The third phase of Cascades Edge is focused on pursuing professional development activities that provide students with “an edge” in landing a job in their chosen field after graduation. These activities include conducting informational interviews; participating in job shadowing, internships, research with professors; practicing interviewing skills; refining and targeting their resumes; and attending career fairs and networking events.
The value of Cascades Edge — a concerted, campus-wide effort — is underscored by a National Association of Colleges and Employers report claiming that such programs contribute to higher starting salaries and promotion opportunities for new professionals, and better enable graduates to contribute to an organization beginning with their first job.
“My hope is that Cascades Edge will really, really impact students in a positive way,” said Garland. “I’ve never before experienced a college where everyone is so bought in to the mission.
