Chart your path: Find professional development and career inspiration in 2025
As the winter months settle in, it’s a perfect time to reflect and reset. Pausing not only allows for much-needed rest but also provides a meaningful opportunity to think about your career and professional development goals.
Whether you’re exploring new approaches to leadership, strengthening connections with colleagues, or seeking ways to grow personally and professionally, there are numerous resources to help evolve and shape your future.
Below, you will find a variety of resources designed to support you, including professional development programs, career counseling services, and free learning tools. We encourage you to take advantage of these offerings to invest in yourself and prepare for the year ahead.
Engage in personalized coaching: 1:1 Development Coaching powered by CoachHub
Begin your coaching journey by registering on Cardinal at Work by Jan. 13
1:1 Development Coaching powered by CoachHub is a personalized coaching experience designed to support your growth and development journey. This program is for all benefits-eligible staff who desire customized support for enhancing leadership skills and applying best practices, boosting their skills and confidence in specific areas, adjusting smoothly to new roles or responsibilities, and achieving measurable goals.
1:1 Development Coaching powered by CoachHub has already made an incredible difference, with 84 employees embarking on their coaching journeys in fall 2024. Participants have focused on areas such as appreciation of self and others, leadership presence, emotional regulation, and authenticity — earning a satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5 in a recent survey. One participant described it as the "best professional development opportunity I've ever had," while others praised the clarity, perspective, and guidance their coaching sessions provide. Another participant noted that their coach “asks thoughtful and practical questions that help them consider different perspectives on their thoughts and actions.”
If this resonates with you, register by Jan. 13 to begin your coaching journey on Jan. 27. You can begin your coaching journey on a rolling basis each month from January to May 2025, allowing more flexibility in determining a start date that best aligns with your schedule. Open house sessions in January and February will give you a chance to learn more about the benefits of coaching and what to expect; no registration is required. Visit the 1:1 Coaching page on Cardinal at Work for more details and take the first step toward transforming your goals into actionable growth.
Navigate your career journey: Career Counseling Network
Learn more in the Careers section of Cardinal at Work and schedule your career counseling session today
Career Counseling Network offers personalized, one-on-one guidance tailored to your unique goals and professional journey. Our experienced counselors — who understand Stanford’s diverse roles and growth opportunities — help you identify your strengths, explore career paths, and develop actionable strategies. Whether you’re considering a role change, seeking clarity on your next steps, or aiming for advancement, you’ll gain valuable insights and practical tools to move forward with confidence.
Typical topics covered in career counseling sessions include clarifying career goals, developing career plans, identifying options, and crafting resumes or cover letters. One employee praised their counselor’s supportive approach, saying, “My career counselor is absolutely amazing! She provided more help than I ever thought I needed. She elevated my resume and gave me opportunities to explore best practices for job interviews.” Another colleague shared: “I feel safe, which allows greater openness and usefulness for the one-hour appointment. I leave feeling greater clarity, fewer worries, [and] with tangible next steps.”
Take charge of your path: Designing Your Work Life
Explore the course overview on Cardinal at Work and register by Feb. 19
Ready to take your career at Stanford to the next level? Join Designing Your Work Life, a dynamic, interactive course inspired by the bestselling books Designing Your Life and Designing Your Work Life. Using proven design thinking principles, this course empowers you to take charge of your career path, whether you know your destination or are still exploring possibilities. This highly interactive, networking-focused experience will equip you with the skills to build your way forward. No matter where you are in your journey, you'll gain practical tools and insights to design a career that truly fulfills you.
Last year, 102 employees completed the course with outstanding results:
- 100% felt inspired and motivated to build a fulfilling career.
- 94% actively took steps to explore their interests.
- 94% felt confident generating, exploring, and navigating new career possibilities.
Course Dates: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PT | Feb. 26, March 5, March 12, March 19
Professional Development Courses
Register in Axess to join our Professional Development and LinkedIn Learning office hours starting Jan. 15
Unlock your potential with professional development courses in the new year. This opportunity empowers benefits-eligible staff to sharpen their skills, expand their knowledge, and accelerate career growth. With a wide range of courses, all STAP-eligible, you can tailor your learning journey to meet your unique career goals and aspirations.
Upcoming Courses:
- Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Feb. 12 - Introduction to Service Design (3-part course): Explore user-centered techniques such as personas, journey mapping, and service blueprinting, culminating in actionable plans for service improvement.
- Jan. 28 - Process Improvement Basics: This session provides practical experience in identifying improvement opportunities and applying end-to-end process improvement techniques.
- Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 - Intelligent Risk Taking (2-part course): Learn to take intelligent risks for innovation and change leadership, enabling action despite uncertainty and reducing the likelihood of paralysis or failure.
- Feb. 13, March 13, and April 17 - Design Thinking in Action (3-part course): Learn design thinking as a collaborative, human-centric approach to solving challenges and fostering innovation—experience applying this methodology to real-world problems, enhancing creativity, and teamwork.
Additional courses and dates are continually added to the course calendar on Cardinal at Work. Check back often!
Advance your career: Free Learning Platforms
Learn more on Cardinal at Work and register on Axess to join our Professional Development & LinkedIn Learning Office Hours starting Jan. 15
Stanford offers LinkedIn Learning and Coursera as free professional development tools to learn new skills, improve your job performance, and advance your career. Access the entire catalog of 21,000+ video-based courses across business, technology, and creative topics on LinkedIn Learning. You can also earn co-branded professional certificates and continuing education units for selected certifications, such as those offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). In Coursera, access a subset of 3,500+ free courses through the “Coursera for Stanford” program across topics such as academic disciplines, business, technology, and professional development.
Audit a Stanford Academic Course
Discover more about auditing a Stanford course in Stanford Sweeteners on Cardinal at Work
Support your professional development, career enrichment, or personal interests by taking a course with world-class Stanford faculty. You can audit lecture courses for free to dive deep into a topic that interests you.