The Center for Career Opportunities team. From left: Stephen Roach, Veronica Rahim, Ben VanDyke, Shihling Chui-Dwyer, Ed Scott, Matthew Rausch, Mary Andrade, Nicole McCabe, Mike Mullis, Teresa Remaly, Janet Glotzbach and and Beth Smith. Not pictured: Amy Terstriep, Carolyn Ersland, Katie Nelson, Amruta Inamdar, Cristy Gosney, Cara Hines-Pham, Kristin Dill, Janice Reynolds, Maureen Huffer Landis, Morgan Delph, Anna Swenson and Yuliya Cormier. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
A Purdue education opens the door to a world of opportunities, from securing a competitive internship to landing a dream job or earning a spot in a postgraduate program. But selecting which path to travel and preparing for the journey ahead can be difficult without guidance — that’s where the Center for Career Opportunities (CCO) comes in.
“We have a passion for helping students realize their dreams,” says Mary Andrade, senior director of career success. “We’re creating pathways that empower students to discover, develop and launch careers in their chosen field, and we’re here to help them understand themselves, the world of work and where their fit might be.”
Most people likely have a preconceived idea of what Andrade’s 23 staff members and 22 interns spend their time doing each day — hosting mock interviews, reviewing resumes and mapping out students’ career options. And while those are crucial CCO services, that list alone doesn’t come close to capturing the scope and depth of the CCO’s role in equipping Boilermakers for lifelong success.
Take the CCO’s employer engagement team members, for example. They reduce barriers to recruitment by cultivating a dynamic employer network that connects industry leaders with talented Purdue students across disciplines. That includes helping student organizations host career fairs; last year, the team facilitated 37 events that gave students access to 1,655 different employers.
Then there’s the campus partnerships team, which supports faculty and staff in teaching and advising roles by ensuring they have the resources necessary to engage in career readiness conversations with students. The group also manages the Purdue career ecosystem — a 170-member cohort of employees that come together twice each year to share insights and updates on campus career development events and initiatives.
“We’re trying to lift up career development at all different levels across Purdue and really support the important work that is happening here, and it’s just been amazing to see my staff’s impact,” Andrade says.
That impact is evident within the CCO’s career development area, staffed with professionals who deliver student-centered programming opportunities like workshops, classroom presentations and one-on-one coaching appointments. During the 2024-25 academic year, these employees gave 244 presentations and hosted 94 workshops —covering topics ranging from career fair preparation to networking and job offer negotiation strategies — to a total audience of nearly 13,000 students.
The CCO also includes highly specialized areas of support, like the team of three preprofessional advisors who help guide students toward professional school by demystifying the application process, connecting students with recruiters, and teaching courses for students interested in applying to law school or health care programs.
CCO services extend to the state capital too, where staff members are capitalizing on the city’s vibrant industry to create authentic experiential learning and engagement opportunities for Purdue students in Indianapolis.
Though each of the CCO’s five strategic areas have their own functions and objectives, the ultimate measure of their performance rests on student outcomes. And when those are positive, they know they’ve succeeded in their mission.
“Success for us is when the student feels prepared to enter the world of work,” Andrade says. “It’s when they know how to talk about themselves and how to apply their skills and abilities in career-type roles. If we have done our work well, our students have access to opportunities, and they have the tools to be successful.”
The CCO will continue to expand its resources this academic year with the launch of a unified career services platform, new strategic programming and a council designed to meet the career development needs within each of the university’s colleges and schools. Faculty and staff interested in learning more about campus career readiness resources and services can attend the CCO’s upcoming open house, set for 3-5 p.m. Oct. 29 in Young Hall, second floor.