Professional Development
Professional development at SA+P supports students as they explore career paths, build networks, and develop practical skills for life after graduation.
Spring 2026 Upcoming Events
Networking Like a Researcher
ALEXIS BOYER
Assistant Director of Graduate Career Services, MIT CAPD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026
4–5:30pm, 7-338 Stella (dinner provided at end)
Participants will learn to approach networking like a researcher by conducting "career research" through informational interviews and strategic mapping of their existing connections.
The session provides practical strategies for making meaningful connections, including low-stakes social media engagement and personalized LinkedIn introduction frameworks. By identifying and cultivating a diverse network of mentors, sponsors, and peers, you can gain insider advice and increase your visibility in your chosen field.
REGISTER
Past Events
Design Your Career
Svafa Grönfeldt
PhD Professor of the Practice, MIT MAD & Faculty Director, MITdesignX
Monday, March 2, 2026
12–1pm, 9-451 (lunch provided)
Design Your Career is a reflective, action-based session that reframes professional development as a design process. Through experimentation, prototyping, and storytelling, the session introduces proactive career path design.
Participants will:
- Develop the ability to design their careers as evolving systems, not fixed paths.
- Gain agency and confidence in shaping their own professional identity.
- Learn to prototype possible futures through small experiments and projects.
- Build skills in opportunity creation, not just opportunity seeking.