Abstract
Most students pursuing postsecondary education have a primary goal of attaining gainful employment and enhancing their career prospects. Yet postsecondary career centers, whose mandate is to serve all students and sometimes alums, are often under-resourced, especially when it comes to providing catered support for underrepresented students. By the same token, students also prefer to turn to career influencers: postsecondary professionals with whom they regularly interact but work outside of career centers and might not have career development expertise. Though they informally support student career development, career influencers are trusted members within students' career ecosystems who contribute to student wellbeing, career, and lifelong success. This chapter examines career realities and challenges experienced by three underrepresented student populations (international students, students with disabilities, and Indigenous students) and offers recommendations on leveraging career influencers to sustain students' career ecosystems.
TopIntroduction
Postsecondary institutional (PSI) environments function as complex and interconnected ecosystems of stakeholders in which student success depends on the interplay of various players. As students navigate these environments, they continuously seek resources and individuals that can aid their journey towards employability and future careers. In light of this, it becomes increasingly important for PSIs to rethink their approach to defining student career success, assisting students in making sense of their educational and life experiences, and identifying relevant support tailored to their unique circumstances.
In this chapter, we explore the concept of career influencers (Ho, 2019) within postsecondary ecosystems and their impact on student career exploration and employability through the lens of sustainable careers. Additionally, we examine the impact of career influencers on student wellbeing. Using vignettes from our professional experiences as scholar-practitioners, we highlight realities experienced by underrepresented student populations - international students, students with disabilities, and Indigenous students - and discuss how career influencers play a pivotal role in students’ career ecosystems. The chosen three student populations are intended to serve as a sample. The experiences of these groups may exhibit similarities or differences when compared to other equity-deserving student groups.
Career ecosystems are interconnected and interdependent elements of PSIs and labor markets, including students and other professionals who influence each other through dynamic interactions (Baruch, 2015). A Sustainable Career Ecosystem (SCE) is defined in the Preface of this book as “interconnected and interdependent actors across higher education institutions and workplace contexts, whereby the lives and careers of individuals evolve and play out over time with an emphasis on sustainable outcomes for the individual, organizations, and broader society” (Donald, 2023, Preface). It is crucial for PSIs to assist students in cultivating and curating their own career ecosystems, to ensure that they continue to benefit from their education and educational experiences beyond their time at the institution as graduates, early talents, and contributing members and leaders in their professional/vocational communities. To realize this definition of an SCE, a whole ecosystem approach is necessary, recognizing that every postsecondary professional has the potential to be a career influencer. This is particularly important when working with underrepresented students, as they may face unique challenges in their career ecosystems. This chapter will delve into the issues, controversies, and problems career influencers encounter when working with these populations, using career vignettes based on true stories to provide a sense of the challenges students face in their career ecosystems.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Self-Advocacy: An individual's ability to assert and communicate their needs, wants, and desires.
Postsecondary Institutional Environments: A complex and interconnected ecosystem of stakeholders within a postsecondary institution in which student success is dependent on the interplay of various players.
Career Influencers: Professional staff and faculty within an institution with whom students interact regularly but work outside of career centers and might not necessarily possess career development expertise.
Wellbeing: The balance between the availability of psychological, social, and physical resources versus the psychological, social, and physical challenges an individual faces over time. Wellbeing can be negative if challenges are greater than resources and can be positive if resources are greater than challenges.
Academic Advisors: Professional who helps students navigate their educational path and achieve their academic and career goals.
Underrepresented Students: Students who identify as members of a group who have been historically excluded or marginalized from equal access to opportunities or resources, and their representation in a particular field is lower than what is expected from their presence in the general population.
Career Center: A department or unit within a postsecondary institution that provides services and resources to students and alums on their career development and employability.