Design Your Educational Journey 

Your education at BSU is more than earning a degree. It is an opportunity to intentionally design a future that aligns with your interests, strengths, and goals. As you make decisions about your classes, majors, minors, undergraduate research, and other academic experiences, pause to ask yourself: 

• What subjects energize and inspire me? 

• Why am I interested in taking this course?  

• What do I hope to learn or gain from this class?  

• How might this course connect to my interests, values, or future goals? 

• How might this major or minor align with the kind of impact I want to have? 

• How could research deepen my understanding of my field? 

• Who could help me think differently about my academic journey? 

Take advantage of opportunities to connect with faculty, advisors, and staff who can help you reflect on these questions and guide your academic journey. By being thoughtful and intentional about your choices, you’ll build the knowledge, skills, and experiences that prepare you to become Career Confident.

Every experience you choose at BSU is an opportunity to develop valuable skills and move closer to your career goals. Whether you are participating in a student organization, completing an internship, volunteering, studying abroad, conducting undergraduate research, or taking on a leadership role, be intentional about selecting experiences that align with the skills you want to build. Along the way, reflect on what you are learning and how those experiences demonstrate your strengths. Being able to clearly articulate your skills, accomplishments, and growth to employers is just as important as gaining experience itself. Check out a list of career readiness competencies that employers highly value in entry-level hires. By intentionally connecting your education to meaningful experiences and learning to communicate its value, you’ll graduate prepared to share what you bring to the workplace confidently. Consider the following reflective questions throughout your time at BSU: 

• What skills have I developed through my classes, jobs, or extracurricular activities? 

• What new skill do I want to develop this semester?  

• Which experiences will help me strengthen that skill? 

• What skills will prepare me for the career or graduate program I hope to pursue? 

• How would I explain the skills I gained to someone interviewing me?  

• Which transferable skills can I apply across different careers?  

• What stories from my experiences best demonstrate my strengths?  

• What skills do I want employers to remember about me? 

Learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. It happens through the experiences you choose. Be intentional about pursuing opportunities that allow you to apply your knowledge, develop new skills, and explore careers that interest you. Consider working in an on-campus job, volunteering in your community, attending employer information sessions and networking events, participating in micro-internships or semester-long internships, studying abroad, conducting undergraduate research, or even choosing a part-time job that helps you build transferable skills. Every experience offers the chance to learn something about yourself, expand your professional network, and discover what kind of work is meaningful to you. As you reflect on these experiences, think about the skills you’ve developed, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the stories you’ll share with future employers. The more intentional you are about designing your experiences, the more prepared you’ll be to demonstrate your value to future employers confidently. Take a moment to reflect on your skills through these questions: 

• What experiences would complement my education?  

• What experiences will help me explore careers I’m curious about?  

• Which opportunities will allow me to develop skills that employers value?  

• How might this experience align with my interests, values, or long-term goals?  

• What do I hope to learn about myself through this experience? 

• What is one experience I have not considered that could broaden my perspective or open new possibilities? 

You don’t need to have your entire future figured out before you begin. Start with one opportunity, one conversation, or one experience and see where it takes you. Try an internship, join a student organization, take on a campus job, volunteer, attend an event, talk with an alum, or explore something completely new.

Every experience helps you learn more about yourself, build new skills, and grow your confidence.

Some experiences will confirm what you want, while others will help you discover what you don’t and both are valuable. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and give yourself permission to change direction along the way.

Start somewhere. Explore everywhere. Build career confidence with every experience.

Your college experience is about more than earning a degree. It is an opportunity to discover your interests, develop new skills, build meaningful relationships, and prepare for a fulfilling future. As you reflect, write a brief statement (150–200 words) describing what you hope your education at BSU will mean to you. 

Consider questions such as: 

• Why did I choose to attend BSU? 

• What do I hope to discover about myself while I am here? 

• What knowledge, skills, and experiences do I want to gain? 

• How do I want my education to prepare me for life after graduation? 

• What role do curiosity, exploration, and lifelong learning play in my college experience? 

• Who has influenced my educational journey, and how do their perspectives shape my decisions? 

Work is more than a job. It is one way you contribute your talents, continue learning, and create the life you want. Whether you’re exploring careers, completing internships, working on campus, or preparing for your first full-time position, understanding what work means to you can help guide your future decisions. 

Write a brief reflection (150–200 words) describing your vision of meaningful work. 

Use these questions to guide your thinking: 

• What does meaningful work look like to me? 

• What motivates me to work? 

• What kind of impact do I hope to make through my work? 

• What type of work environment allows me to thrive? 

• How do I want my work to contribute to my community or the world? 

Your career is just one part of the life you are designing. Your values, relationships, interests, and beliefs all influence the decisions you make and the person you are becoming. This exercise encourages you to reflect on what matters most and how those values shape your future. 

Write a personal reflection (150–200 words) describing the life you hope to build. 

As you reflect, consider: 

• What gives my life meaning and purpose? 

• What values guide the decisions I make? 

• What kind of person do I want to become? 

• What impact do I hope to have on others? 

• How do I define success? 

• What role do family, community, service, or faith play in my life? 

• When I imagine my future, what kind of life am I intentionally designing? 

Imagine Three Possible Futures

Your future does not have to follow one predetermined path. An Odyssey Plan is a Life Design activity that helps you imagine multiple versions of what your life and career could look like over the next several years. Instead of trying to identify the one “right” answer, you will explore different possibilities, notice what excites you, and identify experiences you can test.

The goal is not to predict your future—it is to imagine possibilities.

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Create Three Different 5-Year Plans

Imagine yourself five years from now. Develop three distinct versions of your future. Each plan should include both your career and the other parts of life that matter to you.

PLAN 1 — The Path I’m On

What might my next five years look like if I continue on my current path?

Consider your current major, interests, experiences, career ideas, and goals.

Give your plan a title:

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Sketch or describe your five-year journey:

Year 1: ___________________________________________________

Year 2: ___________________________________________________

Year 3: ___________________________________________________

Year 4: ___________________________________________________

Year 5: ___________________________________________________

What excites me about this path?

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PLAN 2 — An Alternative Path

What would I do if Plan 1 were suddenly no longer an option?

Imagine a different career, industry, graduate program, location, or direction. Challenge yourself to consider possibilities you may not have seriously explored before.

Give your plan a title:

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Sketch or describe your five-year journey:

Year 1: ___________________________________________________

Year 2: ___________________________________________________

Year 3: ___________________________________________________

Year 4: ___________________________________________________

Year 5: ___________________________________________________

What excites me about this path?

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PLAN 3 — The “What If?” Path

What might I pursue if money, expectations, or fear of failure were not holding me back?

Think creatively. What have you always wanted to try? What interests, causes, talents, places, or experiences would you explore?

Give your plan a title:

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Sketch or describe your five-year journey:

Year 1: ___________________________________________________

Year 2: ___________________________________________________

Year 3: ___________________________________________________

Year 4: ___________________________________________________

Year 5: ___________________________________________________

What excites me about this path?

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Compare Your Three Futures

Rate each plan from 1 (low) to 5 (high).

	Plan 1	Plan 2	Plan 3
Excitement: How energized am I by this possibility?	___	___	___
Confidence: How achievable does this path feel right now?	___	___	___
Alignment: How well does this fit my values and Work View?	___	___	___
Curiosity: How interested am I in learning more?	___	___	___

Reflect

What themes, values, or interests appear across more than one plan?

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What surprised me as I created these plans?

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Which possibility am I most curious about right now—and why?

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Turn Possibilities Into Experiments

You do not have to choose one plan today. Instead, identify one small step you can take to learn more about a possibility that interests you.

I could:

• Talk with a BSU alum or professional working in a field that interests me.
• Conduct an informational interview.
• Explore an internship, job shadow, volunteer, or research opportunity.
• Attend a career event or employer program.
• Take a course or participate in a student organization.
• Research a career, graduate program, organization, or industry.
• Meet with Career Services & Internships to explore my ideas.

My Next Step

One possibility I want to explore:

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One action I will take:

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Who or what could help me take this step?

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When will I do it? ________________________________________

Life Design Reminder: You do not need to have your entire future figured out. Stay curious, test possibilities, learn from your experiences, and keep designing.

Want more? Check out the following resources: