Building Careers in Bloomington

Our Project

As part of our research, our team conducted several interviews to better understand the challenges Luddy students face. The idea for this project initially emerged from our own experiences — we found ourselves unsure about which classes to take and struggling with scheduling. Our experiences led us to consider whether other students might be facing similar difficulties. When we conducted our interviews and secondary research, our team was shocked by how many Luddy students were facing the same difficulties as we were.

We designed our app, Creating Careers in Bloomington, to help Luddy students make informed decisions about their academic and career paths. Its three main features directly address the gaps we found in our study. The "Build a Schedule" feature helps students choose courses that fit their long-term objectives by allowing them to design individual class schedules depending on their degree or future job. Relevant clubs, seminars, and career fairs are discussed in the "Improve Hireability" part, which motivates students to participate in events improving their résumés and acquire useful skills outside the classroom. Finally, the "Find Jobs" function links students to full-time work and internship possibilities, therefore enabling them to investigate possible career routes and acquire practical experience. These qualities taken together help students practically and simply close the gap between their education and future professions.

Big Points

• Our project was designed specifically tailored to Luddy students' needs. While we hope to expand in the future to help students of other schools reach their career goals, that sadly has not happened yet. The app is still available to students with other majors, but the information and scheduling will not be nearly as effective.
  
• In addition, our application is only available for phones right now. Again, we hope to soon make a webpage so students are able to access the resources from their laptops, but that has not happened yet.
  
• The app is best for those who have a general idea of their desired career path. During our research, we found these facts to be the case for most Luddy students, but the issue arises when most students did not know what classes to take to best prepare them for their desired career.