Career Development

As we turn the corner on our 100th anniversary, ACPA is even more committed to envisioning the next evolution of what it means to have career fulfillment, wellness, and competency in Higher Education. In Long Beach, we will begin to envision this next evolution with opportunities for members to develop practical skills for career development and advancement, and define what it personally and collectively means to be a practitioner in the landscape of Higher Education today. Centering both the Association’s ongoing commitment to sharing emergent trends and identifying spaces to reflect as individuals and a community for Career Wellness, and ACPA25’s theme of “Take a Breath…Begin Again”, we endeavor to focus on the following during our time in Long Beach: 

  • Opportunities to cultivate enhanced self-awareness and professional insight through structured self-reflection practices, networking, and community building
  • Prioritizing learning opportunities where attendees can align their personal values and career goals with professional direction
  • Spaces in which attendees can boldly articulate their professional values and expertise, and how both apply to their own career goals and opportunities

Attendees can expect enriching opportunities to learn new skills important to their own career development and advancement and structured networking opportunities enhancing their connection to colleagues, leaving ACPA25 with a sense of clarity and renewed purpose for their career. In addition to the rich and robust offering of career-focused educational sessions offered throughout Convention, ACPA25 will specifically be introducing three inaugural programs for attendees focused on career outcomes at Convention: 

  • Skill Up Sessions: Microlearning programs of 15 to 20 minutes focused on a particular skill, competency, or practice that can help attendees accomplish a goal related to their career development and advancement.
  • Fresh Perspectives: Networking is an important practice that happens at Convention, but sometimes it can be difficult to figure out where and how to do it. This program will provide attendees with an opportunity to be paired with a group of individuals with similar career interests and networking desires led by a facilitator who will guide smaller conversations and create spaces for discussion tailored to the career development needs of the group.
  • On Track @ Convention: There’s so much that takes place at Convention that it can be easy to get lost in the midst of everything happening. For attendees who are looking for tailored experiences focused on specific outcomes (e.g., getting promoted to a mid-level position, switching functional areas, improving their management of large teams), this program will present pre-determined “tracks” of educational sessions, entity programs and socials, and other Convention experiences to engage in tailored to various common outcomes for Convention attendees. Doing most of the work for the attendees, these tracks will serve as a “choose your own adventure” to help attendees get the most out of their Convention experience. 

These programs and so much more, including more passive ways to engage in career development at Convention, will be debuted in Long Beach. We welcome you to join us in taking a breath and beginning again, with a freshened approach toward a sense of purpose and wellness in your career!