The Road Trip of Your Career Webinar Series

Login to View Webinar Series

Your career is a journey, not a destination. There will be many transitions along the way from your first employment to retirement. Some transitions will be of your own choosing, and others will be made for you. Using a road trip metaphor, this webinar series addresses some of the biggest forks in the road that we all face throughout the journey of our careers. They will also be valuable for both the employee and the employer to understand the perspective and the needs of the other.

Getting on the Highway: Transitioning from Learner to Thinker
Speakers: Haiying Tao, Washington State University; Rachel Breslauer, Washington State University; Luke Knight, Corteva Agriscience
Transitioning first from undergrad to grad student and then from student to employee are the first significant transitions in a career journey. This move from the university to the workforce has significant impact on your individual success and on your organization. Thinking critically and creatively to define specific research questions and objectives; building resilience to overcome challenges; planning, and communicating effectively are all important aspects of this shift. 

Where’s the Map?  Career Planning
Speakers: Samantha Bock, AgReliant Genetics; Casey Zeller, AgReliant Genetics
Your early career decisions were about choosing an area of interest and the places you want to work. Now that you are employed, what’s your plan?  There is a lot of road ahead, so we should not stop planning our future. Now is the time to look ahead and get the right experiences and skills to be prepared for that future. Because the road ahead can change quickly, we need to be prepared for alternate routes to achieve our destination. This requires having a broad view that can be achieved through active networking and conversations about the possibilities in your organization and beyond. Where are you going?

Don’t Make me Turn the Car Around!  Managing Work Life Balance
Speakers: Aaron Daigh, North Dakota State University; Ashley Harlow, AgReliant Genetics
The phrase “work-life balance” was coined to arrive at an unspoken rule that there must be an invisible middle ground of balanced time spent at work and personal time outside of the office.  There actually is evidence that it’s unhealthy to both our personal and professional lives to be out-of-balance. This elusive balance comes, in part, by being smart and strategic about what gets done and when. Join us to hear about managing time, strategically implementing a balanced approach to life, and ensuring it fits with your goals/values and that of your organization.

Switching Gears: Transitioning to Administration
Speakers: Maria Gallo, Delaware Valley University; Klaus Kohler, Corteva
In the beginning, we’re focused on building our careers as individual contributors.  Then, as we move into more advanced stages of our career, we take on management roles with new and different responsibilities.  Many will continue on this path to take on leadership and administrative roles. How can you prepare now to make this leap then?  What knowledge, skills and abilities will you need to meet the unknown challenges?  Join us for this webinar to learn what is different at the upper levels of leadership and what you can do to prepare for this transition. 

Are We There Yet? Planning for Retirement
Speakers: Pauline Johnson-Ziolonka, (Author: Retirement Life Plan: Navigating the Transition from a Rewarding Career; Travis Miller, Retired-Texas A&M, Craig Newman, Retired-AgReliant
Preparing for a purposeful retirement requires thought and planning.  An active, purposeful and meaningful retirement includes planning ahead to consider what retirement looks like, activities that are meaningful, using one’s professional experience to address broader issues, maintaining an active network--and staying involved with your professional societies. Join us for this webinar which will include a mix of speakers.  (Note: while financial and healthcare options and modes of retirement are important, these considerations are specific to each individual, and will not be addressed.)