Colleges need to fundamentally rethink how they prepare students for careers by integrating purpose-driven guidance from enrollment through graduation, according to a new report released by Complete College America.
Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva
“We were finding that institutions were really siloing, preparing for the workforce or post baccalaureate experiences, leaving that to like, the quote unquote senior year or the final phase before you leave, almost as if that was a part of the exit interview for college as opposed to really making that a part of the onboarding and winding it into the experience throughout,” said Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva, president of Complete College America.
The report highlights troubling statistics about the disconnect between college education and career outcomes. According to Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, nearly 28% of middle-skill credentials don't align with any available jobs. The Strada Education Foundation found that more than one-third of associate degree holders don't recoup their investment within 10 years.
Watson Spiva said that career preparation shouldn't be relegated to a single moment in a student's journey.
“We don't believe it should be a one and done either at the back end or the front end. It really should be a part of the process and the concept of finding your purpose should be a partnership between what you're experiencing at the secondary level with your school counselors, to what you experience on the campus once you get to college.”
The "Purpose First 2.0" strategy represents an evolution of Complete College America's original 2019 approach. While the initial framework focused primarily on admissions and first-year experiences, the updated version extends career guidance throughout a student's entire academic journey.
The new framework outlines six phases of student development: Discover, Align, Map, Experience, Reflect, and Launch. Rather than anchoring these phases to specific timeframes, the approach allows flexibility for different types of students, including part-time learners, transfer students, and returning adults.
Key recommendations include requiring comprehensive interest assessments during admissions, connecting students with academic advisors before major selection, creating curriculum maps that show career skill progression, and mandating experiential learning opportunities aligned with career goals.
The report also expands the definition of "purpose" beyond career preparation to include students' values, civic engagement goals, and financial planning. This broader approach recognizes that students pursue higher education for multiple reasons beyond employment preparation.
Watson Spiva stressed that purpose-driven education doesn't mean pushing students toward only high-paying fields.
“The real conversation should be about what makes your heart sing, what makes you excited to get up every day because we all know from our own experiences, is that when you do what you love and you love what you do, you'll feel like you're never really working,” she said in an interview with Diverse.
Since 2019, the Purpose First coalition has grown to include more than 40 institutions across five states. The initiative has attracted funding from major foundations including Gates Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Dr. Lakeisha Mathews, director of the Career & Internship Center at the University of Baltimore, said the approach has transformed campus culture.
“When students understand the 'why' behind their education, they become more engaged learners, make more intentional choices, and graduate better prepared for both career success and lifelong purpose,” she said.
The report noted that successful implementation requires collaboration across departments rather than relegating career preparation to isolated offices. Watson Spiva described this as “almost like a case management approach” where “everyone who has a touch point with that student has a part of the conversation.”
She explained that whether through technology-driven solutions or more hands-on approaches, institutions need to ensure that “if a student is receiving services from the writing lab, but also they're a finance major, but also, they have a near peer mentor or and they have an advisor,” all those touchpoints work together to serve the student effectively.
Complete College America argues that the approach is particularly critical for addressing equity gaps, as students from historically excluded backgrounds often lack access to information about high-paying career pathways. Watson Spiva noted this is especially important “for those students who have been historically underserved, marginalized, it may not have as big of a network or mentors that can help them to sort of figure out how the things they're interested in may align with an in-driven purpose.”
Watson Spiva countered the critics who might view purpose-driven education as too abstract.
“Some people think that this type of conversation about college, it's the touchy feeling, sort of soft conversation,” she said. “But I would dare say that we need that conversation, especially when students are making life altering choices and we know that there are data that tell us how many students are underemployed in that first year after receiving their bachelor's degree.”
