In today’s episode, Nikki Marzano and Drew Poppleton from John Carroll University will  discuss the creation of a required four-year professional development program designed to ensure every student receives structured career support throughout their college journey. They share how they built campus-wide buy-in, aligned leadership around a common vision, and redesigned advising and career development systems to create a more equitable, scalable, and career-connected student experience. The episode offers a practical blueprint for institutions seeking to make career readiness a shared institutional responsibility rather than an optional service.

What does it take to embed career development learning across an entire university—and prove that it works? In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Julieanne Cutrupi and Eva Chan from the University of Technology Sydney to explore their multi-year journey from an opportunistic, opt-in model to a curriculum-embedded approach spanning 73 degree programs and 135 subjects, reaching approximately 33,500 students. Together, they unpack how a team of just 4.6 equivalent career professionals built this scalable career ecosystem, developed a framework for measuring its impact, and generated compelling evidence that embedded career education significantly improves students’ career understanding, clarity, and confidence.

What if career learning was actually built into the college experience instead of remaining optional? In this episode, Jeremy Podany, Monique Frost, and Nick Cattin explore the growing movement toward embedded career learning and the strategic integration of career milestones across the student journey. Together, they unpack what meaningful career milestones look like, where colleges should embed them for maximum impact, and why the future of career readiness depends less on optional programming and more on intentional institutional design.

What does it actually look like to build a career ecosystem at a small liberal arts college — and how do you bring faculty, staff, alumni, and students along for the ride? In this episode, Jeremy Podany sits down with Jen Guyer-Wood, Associate Vice President of Life Design and Innovation at Macalester College, to explore how a 2,000-student campus in St. Paul, Minnesota has spent the last three years intentionally weaving career learning into the fabric of student life. Jen shares how a newly launched strategic plan, a realignment of Student Affairs under Academic Affairs, and a culture of deep relationships created the perfect conditions for systemic change. From a first-year "Strengths in Action" course to a brand-new "Engage" general education requirement — ensuring every student completes an applied learning experience — Jen unpacks the specific moves her team has made to embed career learning where students already are, rather than waiting for them to walk through the career center door.

This podcast episode featured a conversation between Nick Catton (Career Leadership Collective) and Ball State University leaders Jim McAtee (Assistant Vice President for Career and Professional Development) and David Hua (Associate Professor) about their decade-long journey transforming career services into a comprehensive career ecosystem serving 20,000 students across 7 academic colleges.

This podcast explores career ecosystems in higher education from a board of trustees perspective, featuring David Castagnetti discussing his experience as a trustee at Lake Forest College. Also, how trustees think strategically about career readiness within institutional mission.

In this podcast, Jeremy, Monique, and Nick discuss why and how colleges must define career learning outcomes to create systemic change in career preparation. Without definition, campuses may experience fragmentation, confusion, and uneven student experiences. And now more than ever, both parents and students expect clarity on what career preparation they're receiving.

Career learning is evolving from optional, opt-in services to embedded experiences that reach every student. Dr. Wyatt explains how UTSA developed their "Future Ready Roadrunners" philosophy, which focuses on academic strength, professional preparation, and personal development for all students, and the key focus areas driving the success of this effort.

Bloomberg called The Kogod School of Business at American University the “first AI-first business school”, embedding artificial intelligence across every department, degree, major, and minor. Jeremy and Dean David Marchick discuss why AI innovation is important, how it can be a key component of an integrated career learning ecosystem, and early insights AI infusion is having on student career confidence, enthusiasm, and outcomes.

Sensemaking. Leveraging blank spaces. Navigating the curricular maze. These are among the concepts Scott Carlson unpacks in the book Hacking College with co-author Ned Laff. In this episode, Jeremy and Scott discuss philosophical approaches to systematically helping students make the most of college and practical tips for academic advisors, senior leaders, and career centers to continue finding beauty in their work as they develop their career ecosystem. Hacking College is a must-read for any campus building out a sophisticated career ecosystem.