It’s been a little over a year since we introduced SparkPath here on campus, and the results have been nothing short of astounding. More than 500 students have completed a SparkPath card sort to determine their challenge profile as well as what challenges they are most interested in solving.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with SparkPath (what do you mean “card sort” and “challenge profile?”), it’s a career exploration tool that is available to all St. Lawrence University students, thanks to the Center for Career Excellence. Instead of asking “what do you want to be when you grow up?” SparkPath instead asks you what challenges you find most appealing. To complete SparkPath’s card sort, you read through digital cards with challenges like “Communicate Ideas and Emotions,” “Use Computers and Technology,” “Help People Who Need You,” “Run Your Own Business” and “Increase Sustainable Energy.”

Each card contains a description of the types of jobs you can do in order to take on each challenge, and after you’ve sorted the cards into three categories (very interested, interested and not interested), you pick your top three.

The next step in the process is to research companies and organizations that are tackling those challenges. For instance, if one of your top-three challenges is “Communicate Ideas and Emotions” and another is “Redesign the Healthcare System,” if you do some digging you’ll learn that ScriptScouts is a new service that automates the search for prescription drug discounts. Further research will reveal that they are currently searching for a social media marketing intern, and that the co-founder and CEO of the company is Laurentian Andy Chan ’14!

Searching for these opportunities and connections takes time, and it won’t always be as neat and tidy as the example laid out above. But the more research you do, the more likely you are to make connections with Laurentians who are engaged in the type of work that could provide purpose and meaning to your own career. They will be able to talk you through their own career path, and may even be able to lend a helping hand if there are open positions in their company and get your application to the top of the pile.

“What are you doing after St. Lawrence?” is a big question, and the process of answering it can be daunting. But the 500+ students who have completed a SparkPath card sort have already taken their first step in finding the answer.

Learn more about how you can take advantage of this incredible career exploration resource. Scan the QR code below to learn more about SparkPath, or make a “Chat with Coach” appointment on Handshake to meet with one of our career coaches for 1-on-1 instructions.