Three Guiding Pillars

This year's conference theme, Seasons of Change in Career Development: Where We've Been, Where We Are, and Where We're Going comprises of three pillars that will serve as our guidance for this year's call for proposals.

PILLAR #1: Where We've Been

The foundations of career counseling, coaching, and advising have been rooted in a number of theories, concepts, tools, and resources. Over the years, we have taken these strategies and increased their scope to include diverse groups and special populations (LGBTQ+ individuals, first generation students, neurodiverse clients, differently abled individuals, etc.) as well as made efforts to establish DEI initiatives to ensure equity and access to resources. Within this pillar, we encourage presenters to share their knowledge of 1) Best practices for supporting special populations and diverse groups through their career journeys and 2) Strategies to advocate for and ensure equity within the workplace.

PILLAR #2: Where We Are 

The current career landscape has shown us how a multitude of factors shape who we are as individuals who take on a number of roles within society, what we are passionate about both within these roles and in our leisure time, and how we help our clients and students. From increasing career exposure at an earlier age to truly seeing the globalization of our workforce, providing career-related services has never been more multifaceted, yet necessary. Within this pillar, we are looking for presentations about 1) Fostering career development and exposure in K-12 settings; 2) Preparing students/clients to be part of a diverse and global workforce; and 3) Ensuring individuals are able to flourish through establishing a balance of professional and personal life.

PILLAR #3: Where We're Going

We live in a time where the shift in the world of work has been more prominent than ever. This includes the use of technology, changes in perspectives regarding how work fits into our daily lives, and shifts in the expectations of individuals and their skillset. As career practitioners, it is necessary to be at the forefront of what is currently seen as best practices for our clients and students, but it is also our job to be looking ahead in order to creatively prepare ourselves and those we serve for the change that is yet to come. Within this pillar, we will be looking for presentations focusing on 1) Creative strategies to support student/client readiness for the future of the career landscape; 2) Understanding the impact of technology on career readiness, development, and growth; and 3) Assisting individuals we serve to utilize their strengths, passions, and talents to advance and meet their vocational goals.

If you, or members in your network, are interested in sharing a program, practice, intervention, or research around the topics of career, workforce, talent, and professional development, OCDA encourages you to review our Conference Guiding Pillars and submit a proposal!

**REGISTRATION COST IS WAIVED FOR UP TO TWO (2) PRESENTERS!**

Questions/Concerns about submitting a proposal? Please email Kaleigh Mahon, OCDA President-Elect and Conference Planning Committee Chair at kmahon3@kent.edu.

Deadline for proposals is Friday, January 31st, 2025