In this case study accompanying the brief From Goals to Graduation to Post-Completion Success, St. Petersburg College (SPC) demonstrates how a large, multi-campus community college can make individualized career-connected planning routine for nearly 35,000 students. Over nearly a decade, SPC progressively redesigned recruitment, onboarding, advising, educational planning, and student support. Today, career conversations begin before students apply, educational plans connect their interests with transfer and workforce pathways, and technology supports rather than replaces the relationships that help students make informed educational decisions.
This approach reflects an evolution in how SPC thinks about the purpose of educational planning. Students first needed opportunities to explore careers, talk with knowledgeable people about their interests and aspirations, and understand where different educational pathways could lead, and then they can develop plans connecting those aspirations with good jobs, and further education needed for career advancement.