By: Ashley Schantz, Caitlin Broccoli, and Sarah Connelly
Beginning the week of September 25th and throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, the Life Design Lab will host Industry Weeks.
What are Industry Weeks?
Industry Weeks serve as an exciting opportunity for students to learn about different industries, network with top employers, and see how their unique talents and skills make them qualified for careers across a variety of professional contexts; even those that they may have never considered before!
The Industry Weeks initiative was created out of a desire to help students explore professional possibilities from a low-stakes, skills-based lens. Rather than encourage students to pursue opportunities that appear to be most in alignment with their major or academic interests, the Life Design Lab is challenging students to get curious about the ways their skills and interests translate across industry. Each week brings students a chance to learn from industry leaders about innovations in their fields, gain insight into the realities of the world of work, explore opportunities for jobs & internships, and receive tips on how to stand-out throughout the application process.
Industry Weeks Kick-Off Event
The Life Design Lab introduced Industry Weeks at the “I can do WHAT with my major?” event during Future Fest on Thursday, September 14. During this event, students met with employer recruiters and JHU alumni from a variety of industries and took part in a fun networking game designed to help broaden students’ understanding of career pathways, and ultimately encourage them to continue to explore a wide variety of industries throughout the academic year. In this game, students had to share their stories by highlighting their transferrable skills and were prohibited from using language about their major. The goal of the program was for students to identify their transferrable skills by listing tasks, projects, and accomplishments they’ve achieved and the skills necessary to complete each step to then find alignment between their skillset and a wide range of industries seeking those skills.
Where can I Learn More?
We hope that Industry Weeks will continue to provide students with opportunities to imagine and prototype possible futures, learn how their interests and skills apply across a variety of contexts, and talk to people who have pursued non-traditional career pathways before. To view a calendar of all Industry Week events, updated in real time, please visit the Events Page on the Imagine website and use the “Industry Weeks” filter for a complete list of events. This page can also be accessed via the Explore Opportunities page on the Life Design Lab website.
See below for a complete calendar for Fall 2023 Industry Weeks and a sneak peek at what’s to come for Industry Weeks in Spring 2024.
- September 25-29: Consulting
- October 3-13: Engineering & Tech
- October 23-27: Biotech
- October 30-November 3: Data-Driven Careers
- November 6-10: International Career Summit
Spring 2024 Industry Preview: Healthcare & Public Health, Marketing & Media, Arts & Entertainment, Nonprofits & Government, Finance, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
You can also follow the Life Design Lab on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or X for updates about Industry Weeks and all the other outstanding events happening in our office.
