Calvin LifeWork is a set of online tools for Calvin students designed to help you take next steps with confidence – from internships to finances, first jobs to promotions, conflicts to teams. However you’re being shaped, we’ll help you dive right in!
As a student, you’ll have access to over 30 online modules covering the following topics:
- Career Readiness
- Financial Literacy
- Graduate School
- Leadership
- Vocation
“Makes me feel like I’ll do ok out there.”
This is a direct quote from a student who completed some of the Calvin LifeWork modules. The purpose of the program is to equip students with the tools they need for whatever comes next. We’ve developed a series of online modules based on research, experience, and student feedback, all designed to help you take your next steps with greater confidence. Whether you choose to complete all 34 modules, select a few, or just explore one, there’s valuable content awaiting you. Login to Moodle to access the full range of modules, but please note that you’ll need an active student account to view the links.
SELECT MODULES
Resumes That Get Results
After viewing details on how to create a resume, you will learn about using SkillsFirst to get started. You’ll create a rough draft of your resume, have it reviewed in-person by a Career Coach, and then upload your final resume one last review.
PathwayU
PathwayU is a tool designed to help you discover more about your unique gifts and the career paths that may be a good fit for you. This module has you take the assessment, and a career coach leads you through processing your results.
Interviewing
Interviewing effectively is a skill that improves with practice and preparation. From initial phone or video screenings to comprehensive on-site interviews, this module guides candidates in expressing their strengths and weaknesses, preparing for behavioral questions, and remaining composed under pressure.
Budgeting
In this module, you’ll briefly review basic uses of money, learn about key financial principles, and get tips on how to create your own budget. There will be short videos followed by questions to check your understanding. You’ll create an expense tracker, two SMART goals, and be on your way to having your own personal budget.
Inclusive Leadership
DEI is in the news. What do the terms mean and what can they mean for you? The newly redone module walks through some the vocabulary and cultural centeredness related to belonging discussions as we hear from various voices from the Calvin community.
What is Vocation and Why does it matter?
This module reinforces the idea that one’s vocation is a lifelong process impacting all areas of one’s life – work, family, hobbies, interests, leisure, and yes, faith.
PROGRAM LOGISTICS
- 34 total online modules, with each module taking about 1 hour to complete, including the post-module follow-up activity
- Students can complete modules any time, flexible to fit any student’s schedule, even if studying abroad
- An internship or research fellowship is strongly recommended, and there are modules designed to teach students how to search for internships and how to perform effectively once they land a position
- Career coaches are available to assist students, and coaches are assigned to work with specific majors
INCENTIVES & SWAG
Every month we highlight 3 to 4 modules to do – the Modules of the Month (MotM). Completing any one of them enters you into a random drawing for fun things. Past items have been things like mood lighting, portable projectors, Calvin swag, and money for books.
There are also ways to earn specific items available in the Calvin LifeWork store. The more modules you do, the more things you’re eligible for. Things like branded notebooks, student designed t-shirts, travel mugs, hammocks, luggage, all the way up to $200 reimbursement for professional related expenses like grad school application fees, conference attendance costs, and money for unpaid internships.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The program began in the fall of 2017, originally set up as a four-year program that students started in their first year. Beginning with the fall of 2022, all Calvin students can access Calvin LifeWork and have the freedom to utilize the program based on their own schedule and needs.
No, this is an optional, co-curricular program and has no ties to graduation.
There is not a limit to the number of students, and there is no extra cost to participating in this program.
While several of the program’s training modules are available on an ad hoc basis within the Career Center and through career coaching appointments, Calvin LifeWork is comprehensive and features additional training in leadership and personal finance.
You can choose to begin Calvin LifeWork as early as the fall semester of your first year, as late as your final semester, or anytime in between. All Calvin LifeWork modules are available online in Moodle, and you can complete modules at any time and in any order that is most beneficial to you.
Calvin’s Career Center uses PathwayU, an assessment developed by vocational psychologists, to help students explore career paths that will be satisfying based on an individual’s interests, values, personality and workplace preferences. The PathwayU module in Calvin LifeWork provides student with the opportunity to learn more about themselves, as well as career possibilities that fit their profile.
Calvin LifeWork does not require students to complete an internship, although internships are strongly recommended as a way for students to test out career options and gain relevant experience. Students can find many internship postings on Handshake, and career coaches in the Career Center can also help students with their internship search.
No, this program is available for all students including those who know, think they know or don’t know what their area of study will be. The goal of the program is to prepare students for life after Calvin regardless of what they study.
Not at all, it’s open for everyone. Programming will be relevant to all students regardless of major.
This program will benefit international students similarly to domestic students. All students will be encouraged to think deeply about their vocation as well as gain practical skills that are relevant across the globe.
The program is for active Calvin students regardless of degree sought. It was initially developed for traditional undergraduate students, however most of the modules are not age or life stage specific.