Pathways to Possibility

Beyond Job-Ready

As the job market evolves, UMSI’s Career Development Office helps students translate their education into impact, adaptability, and long-term success.

For many students, the pursuit of their degree is simply the first step toward launching a successful professional career. Helping students along that journey through their UMSI Mentor Match program, career coaching, access to professional networks via their Access & Inclusion Grant program, internships, and the UMSI Alumni Career Connections network is the Career Development Office. 

Director of Career Development Joanna Kroll says employers in information-related fields have become more risk-averse post-pandemic, looking for experienced candidates or “unicorn students” who are adaptable, entrepreneurial, data-savvy, business-aware, and deeply human-centered—a shift driven by leaner teams and fewer early-career entry points in growing tech, data, and information fields.

“The job market for UMSI graduates is still strong, but it’s definitely evolving,” Kroll notes. “AI and automation are reshaping entry-level work—many of the routine research, analysis, and design tasks that used to give new grads their start are now being automated. At the same time, employers have become more risk-averse since the pandemic. They’re looking for candidates who can contribute right away, so we’re seeing fewer true entry-level roles and higher expectations of experience. 

“That’s actually where UMSI students have a real edge. Their education is both interdisciplinary and applied—they’re working on real client projects, participating in internships, collaborating across disciplines, and solving problems that mirror what happens in industry. By the time they graduate, they have strong skills, experiences, and portfolios, and can point to meaningful impact, which really helps them stand out.

The CDO designs and teaches internship and career courses to ensure all students have equitable access to the core foundations of career development. These courses provide structured opportunities for students to explore career paths aligned with their academic and professional goals, engage with industry professionals and alumni to build their networks, and develop effective resumes, cover letters, and portfolios. Throughout the process, career coaches guide students in practicing reflection, setting goals, and articulating their learning and growth to employers.

In our office, we build on that curricular foundation through a wide range of co-curricular services—career coaching, mentorship programs, employer and alumni engagement, and career readiness workshops—all designed to help students tell their story. We guide students in translating their interdisciplinary coursework, project-based learning, and internships into the language recruiters understand. Our coaching helps students connect the dots between their collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills and their technical fluency, showing how those strengths make them adaptable and ready to contribute from day one.”

For many students, the CDO serves as far more than just a job board, functioning as a vital link between academic theory and the high-demand, interdisciplinary roles of the modern job market. Success across UX, data, library and information pathways depends on the skills the CDO fosters: adaptability, learning agility, critical thinking, strategic thinking, creative problem solving, collaboration and strong communication skills alongside AI literacy & tech fluency.

Kroll says, “Ultimately, our goal is to help students move beyond just being ‘job-ready’ to being career-ready for lifelong career management—equipped with the skills, confidence, and clarity to thrive in a world that’s constantly changing.”