At the University of Silicon Valley, career development begins on day one. We don’t see career services as a final step—it is a continuous, integrated journey embedded across every stage of a student’s academic experience.
Our approach empowers students to take ownership of their career paths, especially in creative industries where employability hinges on demonstrated growth, iteration, and professional storytelling through portfolio.
At every stage of the plan, you can count on real support from our career services squad.
Each program includes structured milestones that ensure students progressively build, refine, and own their career portfolios: First Portfolio, Intermediate, and Advanced. These stages are embedded in curriculum with collaboration between faculty, academic advisors, and career services.
Now the fun really begins when you get knee deep in everything you need to know about the career you’re headed towards. We bridge the classroom and the job market with experiential learning options:
• Project-Based Course
• Student-Led Projects
• Non-Paid Internships
• Paid Internships
Every program has a dedicated faculty member with deep industry experience who:
• Reviews portfolios at each milestone stage
• Provides discipline-specific critique
• Helps students align their work with employer expectations
Because creative careers are not one-size-fits-all, each student receives personalized, industry-informed guidance.
USV’s Career Services Coach acts as a connective hub across all programs:
• Guides students through the career ecosystem
• Supports portfolio and resume development
• Hosts workshops, mock interviews, and job application coaching
• Connects with alumni and employers to track and enhance placement
•Milestone-Based Integration starts from day one.
• Real-World Experience and Paid Internships occur mid- to late-program.
• Program-Specific Portfolio Review and Industry Experienced Faculty support span all stages.
• Alumni & Employer Connections continue post-graduation.
Vice President of Operations Adam Forrest leads USV’s Career Services team. It’s his team’s job to assist you in putting your new degree to work, and their success is your success.
Start preparing for your future career by scheduling an appointment with Career Services, so you can begin discussing your hopes and dreams for the future. They’ll guide you through every step of the process, from curating your portfolio to writing your resumé and cover letter to preparing for interviews, and help you discover and explore career opportunities.
The Dragon Network is a grassroots networking community launched by USV community members in March 2019. Join today and start networking!
AlumniFire offers the following resources:
Get practical advice on finding a job, exploring career paths, and succeeding at work.
Upload your resumé to get instant and personalized feedback.
Have your work reviewed by your fellow peers and professional network in the industry.
Receive help on career exploration, resumé /cover letter writing, interview preparation, and more.
And landed in some of the most prestigious companies in their respective industries–many of which are located right in our Silicon Valley backyard.
USV students get hands-on learning on real projects with industry clients before they graduate.
Seems unbelievable, right? Well, start believing. In our Real World Project Studios™, USV students work under the supervision and guidance of their professional faculty to work on actual projects in multidisciplinary teams that reflect real industry pipelines in order to gain real-world project experience. We’ve got the lights and the cameras, and we’re ready to bring the action!
Schedule a one-on-one interview with Career Services Coordinator Ender Pfaff to explore your future goals and how you can achieve them. You’ll have the opportunity to cover the following:
The Career Services Department offers many career and job search workshops designed to assist students with their career development. Workshops are available upon request to student organizations, campus-wide events, and professionals like you!
This is a fireside chat with students and alumni of the University of Silicon Valley to engage with them on a wide variety of topics.
If you would like to host a “Chat with a Pro” session for our students and alumni, please contact us at careerservices@usv.edu with your availability and presentation topic. These events are held on Wednesdays from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM, but other days may be substituted based on the availability of the Student Body. Fireside chats are typically hosted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Please select your topic from the list of presentation topics (click the button below to view/download).
What our Dragons have become and where they’ve landed:
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