What's next for your career? Let's make a plan.
UVA Alumni Association's Alumni Career Engagement is working with the career design experts at Mission Collaborative to bring you the clarity and confidence you need to create a fulfilling career.
Whether you’re early, mid, or late-career, the Program provides the structure and accountability you need to make the breakthrough progress you’ve been struggling to achieve on your own, while fitting into your busy schedule.
Perfect for you if you're:
Wanting more balance, growth, or impact from your career
Feeling bored, burned out, under-appreciated, or not using your strengths at work
Wondering how your skills and experience translate to other career paths
Transitioning to a new phase of life and want to reinvent your career
A pragmatic approach to your career pivot
based on the principles of Design Thinking
Get clarity
Understand your strengths, skills, and values
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Discover options
Identify exciting career paths that fit you better
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Pick the best path
Learn better ways to research and evaluate your options
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What you'll experience
This is a peer-learning program; you'll work with fellow alumni who "get you" and want to help you thrive!
Assignments that fit your schedule
Spend about 5 hrs/wk learning career design principles, exploring career resources, and completing insightful exercises.
Weekly team working sessions
Fellow alumni give you new perspectives and actionable feedback. Choose from: Weds at Noon ET, Weds at 7pm ET, or Thurs at 9pm ET.
Weekly calls with your assigned partner
Go deeper and have more breakthroughs with your Accountability Partner. Schedule calls at times that work for both of you.
Activate and grow your network
Crowdsource ideas, resources, and connections from your supporters, fellow alumni, and the broader Program network.
Get started today
The Program begins February 8. Compare to 1:1 career coaching ($2,000+)
Going through financial hardship? Apply for a partial scholarship
What past participants say:
FAQs
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Is the Career Design Program right for me?We've designed the program to help you figure out exactly what you want next from your career and develop a plan to get there, regardless of your age, background, or industry. Below are examples of when the program will NOT be a good fit for you: Career Needs You already know exactly what you want and just need help landing a job ASAP You have a unique situation that you're looking for help on (starting a company, figuring out how to get promoted) Time/Effort You're not able to commit to completing the assigned work (about 7-9 hours per week) You're not able to put your best effort into the program You can't make at least 3 of the Team Meetings Format You want one-on-one industry expert coaching You don't find peer-to-peer learning rewarding Attitude/Willingness to Collaborate You want the answers handed to you and aren't willing to put in the hard work You aren't excited to spend some of your time helping your peers You don't want to share thoughts/details about your career with others (all participants commit to keeping information discussed in the program anonymous) Still not sure if the program is right for you? Send us a message at info@missioncollaborative.com
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Who is leading the program? What kind of support can I expect?This is not a 1:1 coaching program where some “career expert” will just hand you the right answers. Instead, it's a peer-learning program supported by a career design expert we refer to as a Program Manager. Your Program Manager will guide you through the Fellowship at each step of the journey, offer dedicated support as-needed, and ensure you're satisfied with the experience. We’ve found that this peer-to-peer style works better for most people because it creates a level of accountability and diversity of perspectives that will help you make breakthrough progress (without costing $1,000+ the way private coaching does)! While the Fellowship does not include 1:1 coaching, you do have on-demand access to your Fellowship Program Manager anytime you need the extra support! You can reach out to your Program Manager for any of the following reasons: You need tech support with any of the tools we use in the Fellowship You have a question or want feedback on an assignment you're working on You have a concern about your Team or Accountability Partner You're feeling stuck or frustrated and need some additional support You're unhappy with your Fellowship experience for any reason (we will fix it!)
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What do you mean by "career design"?We're not just talking about changing from one career to something entirely unrelated and different; we're talking about making some sort of change to your career that brings you more fulfillment. For some people, success is finding a similar role in a new organization, and for others, success is starting over entirely in a new role, new organization, and new industry. We'll help you figure out what's best for you!
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How much time will this take?We've designed the Program to be about 7-9 hours of work per week (mostly on your own schedule, except for the Team calls, which are 1.5 hours weekly). We’ll give you the tools you’ll need to be successful, but it’s up to you to put in the time and effort required to make these changes in your life. Participants get the best results when they keep up with the suggested deadlines, put in maximum effort to the assignments and attend all of the weekly Team video calls and Accountability Partner meetings. In other words, the more you put into the experience, the more you get out of it!
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What technology do I need to participate?All you need is a computer with a webcam (tablets won't work!), reliable wifi, and a Google account. We'll be using a program called Teachable for the program curriculum, a tool called Slack for our community discussion forum, a platform called Google Meet for our video calls, and Google Docs for our assignments.
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What if I have to miss one or more of the Team video calls?While we really want you to participate as fully as possible in the Program, we understand that you may occasionally have a conflict. When you enroll, you'll be asked to choose either Wednesday or Thursday meeting times. If you need to miss just one of the four Team video calls, you can give your team advanced warning and make up the work later. However, if you need to miss more than one, we suggest you wait for the next Program.
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Refund PolicyDue to the digital nature of the course and the resources allocated to prepare for each participant’s engagement, it is industry standard to limit refund eligibility. You are eligible for a refund (minus taxes and transaction fees, when applicable) up until 7 days before the program begins. After this time, Mission Collaborative cannot provide a refund, but we can transfer your enrollment to a later program cohort up until 14 days past the program start date. We are unable to refund any taxes you paid through Teachable. Refunds can be provided via Teachable, PayPal, or check.