OPI visits the National Career Development Annual Conference

Staying up-to-date with trends in the career development field
is something that the Department of Career and Volunteer strives to do. This year we were fortunate to attend the National Career Development Annual Conference which was held locally at the Westin Hotel in Long Beach, California. During the three days, we were able to attend presentations, roundtable discussions, mixers, and other opportunities to network within the field.

The theme of the conference was Charting the Course for Our Second Century, and many of the presentations were on topic with new assessment tools, charting new paths, the various roles that our students are facing, and the most current statistics from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The guest speakers were amazing and provided new perspectives on happiness and success in the career world.
There was also an exhibitor’s hall with vendors showcasing the newest resources that are used in the field. We hope to incorporate some of these findings and resources into our program at OPI.

The National Career Development Association is an organization that provides professional development, resources, standards, and advocacy to career development professionals in a wide variety of settings. NCDA is a founding division of the American Counseling Association and provides guidelines that help inform the practice. We continue to turn to the National Career Development Association for the latest information and hope to make attendance at the annual conference a yearly tradition.