Career services leadership and advocacy

Hi ya, Reader- There’s a question that’s quietly turning into a crisis on campus:“What do we lose if we cut career services?” At some institutions, that question has already become a decision. Staff slashed by 50%.Open roles frozen indefinitely.And yet… Students still expect personalized guidance. Families still demand outcomes. Presidents still need to prove ROI. Career services isn’t being cut because it’s unimportant. It’s being cut because it’s invisible in the conversations that count....

Hello there, Reader! Shortly after my son handed me Ice Cream Machine by Adam Rubin, I found myself captivated by the opening lines. Rarely do middle-grade books grab me like this: “...Here we are now, you and I together, on this very word. “Strange, right? It's almost as if these sentences have formed some mystical, telepathic connection directly from my brain to yours. You are reading my mind right now, and I, in turn, have you hypnotized. “I can prove it: Imagine a dog eating a diaper....

Reader, What’s your first impression strategy? When I assess career services at colleges, one of the first things I ask is:How are you onboarding students to career? What I often hear is some version of:“We don’t want students worrying about career their first year.” Let’s pause right there. This isn’t just outdated thinking—it’s bad advice. Of the top four reasons students go to college, three are directly related to career. Source: Lightcast, National Career Mobility Survey Report, 2022...

Hello, Reader! If you’ve been in career services for more than a minute, you will likely agree:badging has a branding problem. You hear the word and you picture… what?A digital gold star?A certificate for showing up?Another well-meaning initiative that quietly dies in a Google Sheet? Yeah. Same. They’re disconnected from real outcomes.Students don’t know why they matter.Employers don’t know how to interpret them.And your team is left managing yet another system that goes nowhere. But badges...

Believe it or not, Reader, one year ago, I hit send on the very first edition of this newsletter. It was a little nerve-wracking, honestly. I wasn’t sure how many people would read it—or if it would matter. But I knew this: Career services deserves more visibility.More strategy. More alignment. More truth-telling. More bold ideas. And I hoped that if I started saying what so many of us were already thinking… maybe we’d all feel a little more equipped to lead. Since then, I’ve written dozens...

It's official, Reader. It's summer! 🌞 Last time, we talked about managing up—how to navigate your relationship with your boss, especially when expectations are unclear or support is scarce. But here’s the thing: Most of the work doesn’t get done “up.”It gets done across. Across departments.Across silos.Across agendas, personalities, and power dynamics that no org chart can fully explain. If managing up is about building support…Managing across is about building momentum. It’s the difference...

Hello, Reader! At the NACE25 conference last week, something happened that I’m still taking in. Someone introduced me as the patron saint of career services.Another said he wanted to be me.And more than a few folks stopped to say hi, thank me for my work, or ask for a selfie (!). Let’s just say: not my usual Tuesday. As someone who usually prefers to hang in the background, it was incredibly meaningful and humbling. If you’re reading this—thank you. This community of thoughtful, committed...

Hello, Reader- It's that time of year again. You made the impact. Now you have to prove it. It’s annual report season, and I’m hearing the same thing from leaders across the board: “We did meaningful, strategic work this year… and I don’t know how to show it.” That tension? It’s not just frustrating.It’s high-stakes. Because when your report doesn’t land, leadership doesn’t just miss the message.They miss the value.The outcomes.The justification for continued investment. And let’s be honest:...

Hello, Reader- There’s a question echoing louder across campuses than ever before: “Is college still worth it?” Students are asking. Parents are asking. Presidents are being asked to justify it. And behind that question is something deeper: doubt. Doubt that the investment will pay off.Doubt that the degree will lead to a good job.Doubt that students are building the skills they need—despite how hard they’re working. That doubt is starting to show up in the data. They’re not just stopping...