Shape your future: Explore your career and professional development this summer

Invest in your enrichment this summer with Stanford offerings, including career counseling, professional development courses, and free learning platforms. Consider using your Staff Training Assistance Program (STAP) funds for eligible opportunities before the fiscal year ends on Aug. 31, 2025.

Summer is a great time to reflect on where you are now in your career and professional development journey and how you can make progress toward your goals. Each phase of your career offers opportunities for enrichment and reinvention. Successful career transitions require intentional reflection and proactive engagement with available resources. This summer, consider how you can invest in yourself with upcoming career and professional development offerings designed to provide you with options for wherever you are in your journey. 

As part of our commitment to excellence at Stanford, we are dedicated to supporting your career development journey. You can develop your professional skills by leveraging confidential one-on-one career counseling, training courses, and workshops designed to enhance your capabilities. Learn more about the opportunities available this summer to all benefits-eligible staff.

Get personalized career guidance: Career Counseling Network

Consider setting up sessions this summer with a career counselor via Career Counseling Network (CCN). CCN 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 your 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.”

Find more details about CCN and schedule your career counseling session today on Cardinal at Work.

Engage in personalized coaching: 1:1 Development Coaching, powered by CoachHub

1:1 Development Coaching, powered by CoachHub is a personalized coaching experience designed to support your growth and development journey. This program offers you customized support for enhancing leadership skills and applying best practices, boosting skills and confidence in specific areas, adjusting smoothly to new roles or responsibilities, and achieving measurable goals.

This program has already made an incredible difference, with more than 270 employees embarking on their coaching journeys since 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 “was a phenomenal thought partner who asked insightful questions and had really helpful feedback.”

Although the final summer coaching engagements are wrapping up now, fall registration opens in August for three months of unlimited coaching for $800. Each coaching engagement kicks off and wraps up on specific dates, so you'll know exactly when you're starting and ending. No rolling start dates — just clear timing, structured support, and a focused three-month journey. View the Open House recording and slide deck to learn about the benefits of development coaching and what to expect from your CoachHub experience. 

Visit Cardinal at Work to learn more about the CoachHub program as you consider your professional goals this fall.

Register for professional development courses

Unlock your potential with upcoming professional development courses. These STAP-eligible courses empower you to sharpen skills, expand knowledge, and accelerate career growth. With a wide range of courses, you can tailor your learning journey to meet your unique career goals and aspirations. 

Upcoming courses include: 

• July 17 and July 22 - Strengthen your Influence and Impact: Boost your confidence and influence with powerful communication strategies that help you anticipate needs, tailor your message, and build instant credibility.
• July 23 and July 30  - Mastery Change: The workshop equips you and your team with practical tools to tackle real-world change, minimize resistance, and lead confidently through transitions, no matter who started them.
• Aug. 5 and Aug. 12 - Be a Champion for Accountability and Ownership: This session equips you with practical tools to lead with accountability, own solutions, and strategically showcase your impact.
• Aug. 13 - 21 Practices for Happiness and Accomplishment @ Work: Hands-on experience that blends mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and productivity techniques to help you thrive, reduce stress, and achieve lasting fulfillment at work. Through engaging exercises, practical tools, and continued access to the Mindful App, you’ll build lasting habits that boost focus, well-being, and effectiveness in every aspect of your professional life.
• Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 - Navigating Important Conversations in the Workplace: When results stall, it’s often because a crucial conversation was avoided or mishandled — and learning to navigate these high-stakes moments is key to personal and organizational success. This course equips you with the skills to confidently step into tough conversations, turning conflict into productive dialogue that strengthens relationships and drives results.

Additional courses and dates are continually added to the course calendar on Cardinal at Work, where you can also search and filter courses by competency. Check back often!

Take advantage of free learning platforms

Stanford offers LinkedIn Learning and a selection of Coursera courses as free professional development tools for learning new skills, improving job performance, and advancing your career. 

• Access the entire catalog of expert-taught 24,000+ video and other format-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).
• On Coursera, you can access a subset of 3,500+ free courses across topics such as academic disciplines, business, technology, and professional development through the “Coursera for Stanford” program.

Find more details on Cardinal at Work about these free learning platforms. Also, register on Axess to join our Professional Development & LinkedIn Learning Office Hours, where you can stop by to ask any and all questions, ranging from help logging in to seeking information about specific courses.