Oglethorpe University is implementing new programs this school year for students to gain exposure to real world career tracks in real time.
Dr. Kathryn McClymond, Oglethorpe president, said she’s looking forward to deepening the focus on career preparation with Petrel Career Pathways and Oglethorpe Goes to Work day.
“We’re finding that more and more students are coming to college asking, ‘What’s my opportunity afterwards?’ Increasingly, colleges have to demonstrate the value that they bring to the career prospects for a student, and we believe strongly that the liberal arts education they receive is a high career value,” McClymond said.
During new student orientation this month, students will have time get prepared for the academic year by meeting faculty and learning about opportunities on- and off-campus at the career services office.
Petrel Career Pathways encourages students to learn about different professional clusters including health professions, business, communication studies, and pre-law. In addition resume preparation and site visits, the university will connect students with internships.
McClymond said site visits are “transformative” because they give the students a chance to see what it looks like to work in health professions at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, for example.
“Not just in their imagination, but to see who the people are that making it possible to deliver healthcare in that setting,” she said.
Students will be introduced to local alumni in healthcare, law, and business.
“Students don’t realize how many career opportunities there are in some of these fields, so we want them to learn that right from day one,” McClymond said.
As a result of the exposure to alumni and site visits, Oglethorpe is hoping students gain an understanding that there are more jobs available than students think. In healthcare, people think about the doctors and the nurses – but there are technicians, physicians assistants, and business people behind the scenes, she said.
“There are lots of people involved in providing healthcare who didn’t have a traditional nurses or doctors education,” she added. “I want my students to imagine multiple pathways forward.”
In spring 2026, the university is launching Oglethorpe Goes to Work day. For a single day, every sophomore will be off campus to explore career opportunities.
Oglethorpe has a strong network of alumni who speak on campus, hold panels and mentor students one-on-one. McClymond said Oglethorpe is “incredibly rich in our alumni resources” with many alumni who stay in metro Atlanta, in the state of Georgia, and in the southeast.
“We’re doing this because we have amazing community partnerships and alumni who want to bring the students on campus or off campus to see their work, and because Atlanta is the fourth most popular place for college graduates to go in the country right now after graduation,” McClymond said.
“Opportunity is at our doorstep … we want to give students a leg up, get them out into the city, and for them to see the job opportunities,” she added.
Under the leadership of Director of Career Development Dr. Lisa Conley, students are visiting more job sites and are being introduced to potential employers. Several students were offered jobs last year based on an introduction made through a site visit.
McClymond said it’s crucial for students to be thinking about internships the summer between their sophomore and junior year.
“Not only will we give you the traditional resume building skills, but we can actually help build your network so that when you’re ready to go looking for that internship, or job you already know people in your field,” McClymond said, adding that 92 percent of students one year out from graduation are either working in their preferred field or are in a graduate program.
It goes beyond alumni, McClymond said. Oglethorpe’s highly motivated faculty come to the university because they want a relationship with students.
“What makes Oglethorpe special is that we have always, always been about the person and the individual relationships. We wanted to craft a career preparedness plan that is still true to that personal experience. And I love being able to offer that to parents and students,” she said.
“I’m really excited about lifting our students up to make them more visible to and connected with the city. I think that’s going to be a win-win for the students and for the City of Atlanta,” McClymond said.