Career Capital and the Community College

Wanting to elucidate the relationship between student success and employment outcomes, the authors of this study sought to devise a methodology to (a) measure the alignment between the educational/community college experience and potential careers and (b) explore factors that may inform the alignment between college and career. Data were collected on 84 students at a southern community college using the College and Career Capital Survey. Descriptive analyses showed that the majority of the sample was White, female, and worked, and more than half aspired to earn at least a baccalaureate degree. Survey items and responses were used to formulate the College-Career Alignment Index. A stepwise backward regression, used to eliminate noncontributing variables, accounted for 27.4% of the variance and showed the following to be statistically significant in predicting college-career alignment: working full-or part-time, gender (female), relying on institutional networks for information, confidence in finding employment in a desired career field, and enrollment in developmental courses. Based on the findings of this exploratory study, the authors suggest that community colleges consider the value of employment opportunities while in college and the institution's role in providing information about careers as potential avenues to improve college-career alignment. In addition, they propose next steps to expand the study and further explore factors related to career capital.