Attendees will have the option to select three different breakout sessions to attend as part of the Spring Training. Each session will only be offered once—find session titles and descriptions below!

Breakout Session 1 Options

Select one of the following sessions to attend for the first set of breakouts, between 11:20am–12:05pm:

5 Degrees of Career Transition: Getting at the root motivation to determine a more purposeful career shift

Andrea Karapas, College of Business at Colorado State University
Crawford Room 1

The 5 Degrees of Career Transition is a model developed to support clients in reflecting on their motivations for change to determine the best path forward. This presentation will walk career practitioners through the premise of the model and how it can support clients in identifying an appropriate degree of career transition through a thorough examination of bright spots and pain points. It’s a practical approach that gives clients more options beyond the common “career overhaul” that clients present with when they’re experiencing dissatisfaction in their work. This model moves career transition clients into a more intentional and meaningful process that likely lessens the degree of transition with fewer gaps to fill.

Addressing Impostor Syndrome

Chrysta Bairre, Live Love Work
Crawford Room 2

Do you experience self-doubt about your work, your success, or your accomplishments?

Impostor Syndrome is at the core of identity and how you see yourself and how you allow yourself to be seen. Impostor Syndrome is more common than you think, especially among women and high achievers, with some estimates suggesting as many as 70% of successful people experience Impostor Syndrome causing self-doubt, stress, anxiety, and not reaching their full potential. In this session we'll cover how Impostor Syndrome shows up in life and work, as well as tips and tools to overcome Impostor Syndrome so it doesn't stop you from taking up your space in the world and enjoying the success you desire!

Developing a Job Framework

Linda Sollars, MA, CMCS, GCDFi, Creating Purpose, LLC
Crawford Room 3

The Framework is a clear working document that is used in informational interviews, developing resumes and creating content on LinkedIn, as well as creating categories that can be used on job search sites. This has been an extremely helpful document for anyone in transition, from graduating seniors to mid-life and beyond.

Community Building Session
Elmwood Room 1

This session is for open discussion and community building among attendees.

Breakout Session 2 Options

Select one of the following sessions to attend for the second set of breakouts, between 1:00pm–1:45pm:

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR): Identity and career decision making

Jeff Sidders, Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation - Northern Colorado
Crawford Room 1

An overview of and conversation about how the State's Talent Development Program for individuals with disabilities empowers career decision making. We'll touch on how the blending of cultural factors, world view, and life experiences informs the way each career seeker self identifies as a person with a disability. We'll delve into how identity is promoted in career decision making, and how identity may even shift over time as career seekers gain new experiences and perspectives as working professionals.

What about Company Culture?: Centering organizational fit in student job search conversations
Brooke Nelson & Tzigane Martin, University of Colorado at Boulder
Crawford Room 2

When it comes to career development training, assessing company culture and fit is too often overlooked, undervalued, and left out from career centers’ advertised services. We’ll explain the importance of bringing this topic to the forefront of career conversations, and supply various tools and resources needed to begin implementing at your colleges.

Identify as Happy: How to coach clients to enhance their wellbeing and why doing so will improve their job search and overall career success

Jordan Maness, Division of Continuing Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder
Crawford Room 3

How often have you found yourself desperately trying to coach your client through a successful job search or career transition only to find progress has totally stalled? Often times we focus on career issues but neglect coaching our clients on some foundational wellbeing strategies. The science says that people with higher levels of wellbeing have more success in other areas of their lives (including career). Thus, as career coaches, we can be more successful if we share with our clients what the research shows leads to thriving in life. Come to this fun and fast-moving workshop to learn the basics of Thriving 101 so you can better help your clients and/or apply the concepts to your own life!

Community Building Session
Elmwood Room 1

This session is for open discussion and community building among attendees.

Breakout Session 3 Options
Select one of the following sessions to attend for the last set of breakouts, between 2:00pm–2:45pm:

Empowering Career Decisions with My Colorado Journey

Kwizi Ndogole & Aziz Vahobov, The Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
Crawford Room 1

My Colorado Journey (MCJ) connects job seekers and students to careers, education planning, and support resources through a guided process that drives action and goal completion. This platform is beneficial for those who need help with career decisions and those who provide support, education, and navigation within career choices for students, job seekers, and any person in a stage of career change. My Colorado Journey provides user-friendly, personalized information to explore developmentally appropriate career pathways. In this presentation, we will be discussing how My Colorado Journey can support career decision-making. As apprentices, we have unique perspectives on what our careers can look like, and are excited to share our view on this tool. We will highlight the industries we have in MCJ and how people can utilize it to start in a new industry pathway or move toward higher roles in those pathways. Attendees will be able to learn about the process of building career pathways in MCJ and how sector partnerships and collaborations between business, educational institutions, government, and other stakeholders help CWDC build career pathways. This is an excellent opportunity for the participant to contemplate and discuss how they can integrate or optimize the use of MCJ in their professional endeavors and how they can help the communities they serve to benefit from the platform.

Navigating Career Success: Addressing career development challenges for New Americans

Jenny Jessup, Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning
Crawford Room 2

This breakout session offers practical insights and strategies for effectively supporting New Americans in navigating their career development. Through real-life case studies, participants will explore the unique challenges faced by this demographic and discuss strategies that enhance career services, cultural competence, and communication skills. Attendees will gain valuable tools and resources to better equip themselves in providing career and workforce support services to New Americans, especially adult populations, ultimately empowering this population to overcome barriers, enrich our communities, and achieve their professional aspirations.

Empower Career Decision Making in the midst of Self-doubt and Systemic Barriers

Kristi Wasson, University of Colorado at Boulder
Crawford Room 3

While it can feel empowering and relieving to make a career decision … taking steps to enact the decision can feel equally overwhelming and challenging. For some of us, self - limiting beliefs including imposter syndrome negatively impact our ability to achieve a goal, and for others, especially members of underrepresented and historically marginalized populations, systemic issues including access hinder career goal attainment. Attend this highly interactive session to gain more clarity on what might be holding you (or your students/clients) back from taking the leap and pursuing your next career. Collectively, we will engage with this topic on an individual and systemic level in terms of limitations and strategies for addressing those limitations.

Finding Your Why: Skills as the bridge between transition and identity

Haley Harbaugh, Cowrie Talent Solutions, LLC
Elmwood Room 1

Have you seen an uptick in client inquiries around career transition? Unsure where to start to dig into career transition conversations? This session focuses on a powerful tool: identifying the "Why" and leveraging skills as the bridge to a strong career identity. We'll explore how uncovering the core values, motivations, and aspirations behind career choices can lead to more successful transitions and fulfilling careers. Discover how skills assessments and self-reflection exercises can unveil hidden strengths and interests, illuminating a path towards a meaningful career identity. We'll delve into practical coaching strategies to guide clients in exploring their "Why," harnessing their unique skills to bridge the gap between desired roles and current realities. Leave equipped with valuable tools and practices to empower your clients and yourself in navigating career transitions with purpose and clarity.