Seniors, Listen Up: COMPASS, Passport, and Connect

USD encourages students to explore skills in their major-specific program 

Yana Kouretas / Feature Editor / The USD Vista

Senior year is often characterized by frantically completing graduation requirements and trying to land that dream job. 

Although USD’s COMPASS, Passport, and Connect programs might seem like more requirements that are just meant to be checked off on a list, they encourage students to navigate their career field and areas of interest before joining the workforce or beginning their post-graduate journeys. 

Established in 2018, COMPASS, of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Connect, with the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, and, Passport, for   the School of  Business, are all programs instituted as graduation requirements. They were designed with the intent to encourage USD students to apply and learn skills through a variety of required events and translate them to their potential internships or jobs. 

The Career Development Center, which works closely alongside the individual colleges at USD, developed these programs based on feedback they acquired from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).  Some of the surveys the Career Development Center received from employers in the workforce  detailed that candidates were not able to clearly identify or display some of the fundamental skills that they possessed, primarily in their resumes and cover letters. 

This did not mean that they didn’t have certain characteristics, but that some students weren’t expressing them as best as they could have been. 

Isela Reyes, Career Readiness Program Coordinator of the Career Development Center  described how the program’s purpose was to give students the necessary resources to explore their goals and recognize the traits that make them who they are. 

“We added this program to hopefully encourage students to apply some of these skills at the events or through internships or jobs, or Torero Treks through example,” Reyes said. 

Within each program, there are core requirements and “flexible points.” However, the programs differ to cater more toward the general education experience and the career guidance that each school typically aligns  with. For instance, COMPASS, Passport, and Connect programs each require students to attend their respective orientation and networking events, as well as complete a senior graduation survey. 

USD students can obtain their points by attending on-campus activities or having off-campus jobs or internships. Photo courtesy of USD.

However, COMPASS differs in its core requirements: the program necessitates students to attend a session that is directed towards articulating the value of the liberal arts, although all students are welcome to attend it. 

Additionally, passport students are only able to acquire points once they declare their major in the CAS, whereas students looking to be in the School of Business or the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering can earn up to three points for their Passport and Connect programs, without needing to declare their major yet.

Each networking session also varies depending on the program. The alumni or career professionals that attend are placed with the program that matches their career field in terms of majors or area of study. 

Reyes explains how these networking events are diversified opportunities that do more than just fulfill a requirement. 

“There could be some events that have actual networking receptions after the event. Or some are career fairs where you meet with employers one on one and share your resumes and cover letters with them,” Reyes said. “They could also just be showing you how to network and going over the basics for this. It mainly provides an opportunity where a student is able to talk one on one with an employer, alumni, or profession.”

Similarly, all programs allocate flexible points, which are more customized, such as research or internship opportunities that fall under different career fields. 

If a student happens to complete an internship or research opportunity either during the summer or the school year, they can fill out the Career Readiness Programs Experiential and Internship Learning Registration Form on the USD portal. The Career Development Center can review the opportunity and determine whether it can qualify for a certain area under the COMPASS, Passport, or Connect programs. 

Reyes clarified that these programs were modeled in accordance with four distinct outcomes to direct students to navigate their academic and job or internship experiences during their time at the university.

“We have four program outcomes in general for all of the programs. One is thinking about what you are going to do after graduation. The second one is making sure that this is the major or career you want to do,” Reyes said. “The last two are articulating the value of liberal arts and identifying one’s professional network through the different events, professors, or even your peers.”

Although college is likely a stressful time, USD attempts to alleviate some of the post-grad worries by immersing students in activities and events that will allow them to delve into their passions during their time as an undergrad and feel confident about the career field they choose.