Explore the New Career-Oriented Program: Tuck Pathfinders at Dartmouth College
Winter saw 75 first-year students from Dartmouth College taking part in the newly launched Tuck Pathfinders program. This unique program is brought to you by Tuck Undergraduate Education in conjunction with the Dartmouth Center for Career Design (DCCD). Its focus is on helping students to discover their strengths, explore potential career options, and develop crucial skills for their post-college life. The program is led by faculty director Charlie Wheelan D’88, who introduces students to Tuck’s unique approach to business education.
Advantages of the Tuck Pathfinders Program
“Tuck Pathfinders provide Dartmouth first-year students with a golden chance to plan their futures consciously and deliberately right from the start of their college life,” says Wheelan. He has been recently appointed as the faculty director of Tuck’s Center for Business, Government & Society. “The program’s courses, taught by stellar Dartmouth, Thayer, Thayer, and Tuck faculty and DCCD staff, fireside chats with alumni, and the networking and career prospects, all contribute significantly in preparing students for a purposeful life post-graduation.”
Pathfinders Program Structure
Participants complete a series of modules over the course of four consecutive weekend sessions, three in person at Tuck and one virtual. These modules highlight professional skills, life skills, and big-picture thinking. Prior to the first session, the DCCD administers the CliftonStrengths assessment to help participants identify their top skills. These insights are then used along with the Career Exploration Generator to align students’ strengths with prospective career paths.
Classroom Experience & Alumni Interaction
In the classroom, Dartmouth and Tuck faculty lead sessions like Negotiating with Influence, Professional Communications, The Science of Happiness and Well-Being, Personal Finance, and Designing Your Life. Sessions are paired with fireside chats with Dartmouth alumni, who share their journey and insights from their career paths, demonstrating the multiple routes students can follow after graduation.
Beneficial Impact of the Pathfinders Program
“The program helps students enhance their confidence, both personally and professionally,” says Lisa Tedeschi, assistant dean for Tuck Undergraduate Education. “This confidence, in part, arises from understanding their strengths and how to utilize those to pursue their interests.”
For Caroline Clark D’28, Pathfinders helped clarify her future and reassured her that a career change is both expected and acceptable. She learned that career paths tend to zigzag rather than go in a straight line. The key takeaway for her was to focus on the bigger picture and believe that the path will guide her to her rightful destination.
Future of the Tuck Pathfinders Program
Looking forward, Tedeschi plans to expand Pathfinders by offering sessions throughout the academic year, doubling participation to 150 first-year students, and introducing new courses on topics such as personal branding, leadership, and resume building, taught by additional faculty.
“Tuck Pathfinders is an opportunity for students of all majors to explore career possibilities, meet alumni, and gain skills that will be beneficial throughout their lives, irrespective of whether they’re an artist, a chemist, or planning to go into business,” Tedeschi says. “My hope is for it to become an opportunity that every first-year student at Dartmouth can participate in.”
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