Hey there, Reader-
November is Career Development Month, and while some of us may be celebrating with student programming, I want to take a moment to celebrate the quiet, persistent, necessary work that happens behind the scenes every single day.
It’s the unseen coaching conversations.
The late-night final touches on a career fair map.
The persistent case for investment you’ve made yet again.
This month, I want to honor the people doing that work: the career professionals who build trust, connection, and possibility one student (and one conversation) at a time.
And I can’t think of a better story to share than Kim’s.
Kim, Director of Career Services at Presbyterian College, embodies the heart of this profession: grounded, resilient, and quietly transformative.
When we first connected, she wasn’t looking for fanfare or a big consulting project. She just knew her career center and her campus were capable of more. What she didn’t know yet was how to make others see it.
This is her story of how clarity, courage, and one simple relationship map changed everything.
Kim's story
For years, Kim showed up for students, faculty, and employers, pouring her energy into helping others succeed.
And for a while, that seemed like enough.
Students were getting help. Employers were satisfied. Leadership wasn’t asking for more.
Everything was… fine.
But fine can be a dangerous place to live.
“Our institution didn’t know how to connect career to our broader strategic goals,” she told me.
“No one was creating goals for career. We were so far in the weeds that no one was thinking big picture.”
Kim could see what was missing. But her voice had to compete with a dozen others, and for a long time, it went unheard.
Until something shifted.
A moment of clarity
One afternoon, Kim came across my career services relationship matrix on LinkedIn.
It was a jolt of recognition.
For the first time, she could see how career services connected to nearly every part of Presbyterian College: admissions, academics, advising, advancement, and student life.
“That image cemented what I wanted for PC,” she said. “It made it real. I could show leadership that career services isn’t a side office. It’s the connective tissue of the institution.”
That realization changed everything.
Kim stopped waiting for others to define her office’s value and started showing them patiently, persistently, and strategically.
“Our job isn’t only to serve students. It’s to educate everyone else on how they contribute to career readiness. I realized I had to be the one connecting those dots.”
For the first time, she wasn’t just leading a department; she was shaping a movement.
Redefining what legacy looks like
With retirement on the horizon, Kim could’ve coasted. No one would’ve blamed her.
But that’s not who she is.
“My legacy is that career becomes part of the strategic plan—part of student success and retention. I want people to see how we fit into that.”
And she’s making it happen.
✅ The provost is using her language.
✅ Career is now aligned alongside academic support and department chairs.
✅ She secured approval for a new hire—after years of being told no.
These may look like small administrative wins, but to Kim, they’re proof of something bigger: that leadership is finally seeing what she’s been saying all along.
The hardest shift: realizing “fine” isn’t enough
One of Kim’s most pivotal lessons came from a landscape analysis.
It wasn’t glamorous work. It was long, detailed, and, by her own admission, kind of exhausting. But it became the turning point.
“It was a pain. I spent over 40 hours on it. But it’s paying off. I’m getting more leadership buy-in. I realized that resistance comes when people aren’t included.”
The process gave her something she hadn’t had before: space to listen, to ask questions, and to understand how others viewed career services.
Instead of pushing her agenda, she started inviting people in.
“It gave me a reason to ask, ‘What do you see? What do you need from us?’” she said. “I learned things I never would have heard otherwise.”
That shift—from doing the work alone to co-creating the vision—completely changed how Kim leads.
She stopped believing that good work would speak for itself and started believing that conversation would.
“I thought people would see my efforts and just understand,” she said. “That’s not how it works. You have to help them connect the dots.”
Now, Presbyterian College is starting to see those connections too.
Admissions is weaving career language into recruitment.
Advancement is talking about alumni engagement in new ways.
Faculty are leaning in, not tuning out.
This is what transformation looks like: quiet at first, and then suddenly undeniable.💥
The result: a more confident, influential leader
These days, Kim walks taller. Her confidence isn’t loud; it’s steady.
She’s earned a seat at the table, not because someone invited her, but because she built the table herself.
“This work made me reflect on my leadership style and how I impact others.
I’ve learned to adjust, to influence who I can, and to keep going.”
Kim’s advice for other leaders
“Call Rebekah.” 😉
But then she added something insightful:
“Having an external, objective advisor gives you perspective, strategy, and accountability. It also validates what you know and helps you make it happen.”
She’s right.
🎯 Sometimes you just need someone outside the noise to remind you what you’re capable of.
Action steps
If you’re a career leader who feels:
- Invisible on campus,
- Overwhelmed by the need for buy-in, or
- Unsure how to move from operational to strategic—
Start where Kim did:
- Map your relationship matrix. Identify every person, office, and initiative connected to student career outcomes.
- Ask better questions. Use those conversations to uncover what others need from you and what they already see as useful in your work.
- Turn those insights into alignment. The more you listen, the more information you’ll have about how to move forward. And importantly, you’ll be heard.
Final thought
Career development work isn’t always visible, but it’s always vital.
As we celebrate National Career Development Month, Kim’s story reminds us what this field is really about: steady, human-centered leadership that transforms lives in ways data alone can’t capture.
Change doesn’t always start with fanfare or funding. Sometimes it begins with one professional who looks around, sees that “fine” isn’t good enough, and decides to make career impossible to ignore.
Here’s to the quiet persistence, the daily conversations, and the courage to keep connecting the dots—on every campus, every day.
Don’t ever forget how important your work is to your students and your institution.
Your work matters.
Things you might want to read
Happy Career Development Month to you!
P.S. We’re building a community of leaders shaping the future of career services. Know someone who should be part of it? Invite them here.
