10/01/2024

NCDA’s Podcast: Career Practitioner Conversations

By Melissa Venable

As part of the mission of the National Career Development Association (NCDA) to provide professional development to practitioners and educators who inspire and empower individuals to achieve their career and life goals, a popular digital media program was created in 2022. Serving the needs of a growing group of listeners, the goal is to continue to expand the topics to explore the dynamic field of career development.

NCDA’s podcast, Career Practitioner Conversations, now offers a library of 55 episodes covering a variety of topics, such as mental health and wellness, artificial intelligence, career development around the world, and diversity strategies. All episodes are free to access for members and non-members alike.

Why Did NCDA Create a Podcast?

In NCDA’s early research, the professional development team found that while there are many podcasts focused on career and job search topics for job seekers, few specifically address the work of the career counselors, coaches, advisors, and specialists serving those with career development needs. Podcasting provides an outlet for NCDA to widely share information and expertise that supports those working in the career development profession right now. Podcasting also allows listeners and learners to access episodes at times that are most convenient, such as while in the classroom, walking to work, in the car, or exercising.

What Can You Expect?

Career Practitioner Conversations offers a format that is different from, but complementary to, NCDA’s popular webinar series. Instead of a live audience and open Q&A, the podcast captures recorded conversations about relevant topics led by an NCDA leader. Episode hosts have included NCDA Board members, State CDA leaders, committee co-chairs, and Leadership Academy participants, for example. Featured guests include practicing career counselors, coaches, and advisors as well as, researchers, authors, and other industry experts doing career development-related work.

A primary goal of the podcast is for each episode to provide listeners with something new – novel ideas, people, perspectives, activities, and resources. NCDA hopes these conversations will spark energy and enthusiasm around the topic, in the listener’s daily work and the field in general. NCDA also encourages listeners to share the episodes with colleagues and keep the conversations that resonate going.

Who’s Listening?

NCDA’s Career Practitioner Conversations have had more than 15,000 downloads since the first episode was released in April 2022. Listeners are located primarily in the United States (77%) and there is an international audience, too. So far, the podcast has reached listeners from 96 countries around the world and these numbers continue to grow.

How to Listen to the NCDA Podcast

Look for Career Practitioner Conversations in multiple podcast directories including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and many more. Subscribe and listen in your favorite app, find it on the NCDA website (under Professional Development: Podcast Library) or access episodes on the podcast’s webpage.

New episodes are typically released twice per month, usually on Tuesdays. However, the schedule can change around NCDA events, such as the annual Global Career Development Conference.

Listen, Learn, and Earn CEs

Listeners can also earn continuing education credit for listening to select episodes. Two podcast series are currently available as courses on NCDA’s on-demand learning platform, The Hub:

• POD001 – Presidential Series: Career Development Trends. This course features a three-part interview series hosted by Dr. Sharon Givens. Topics include mental health, the future of work, and connecting DEIB and Career Development Work. (2 CEs)
• POD002 – Presidential Series: Workplace & Job Search Challenges of Underrepresented Populations. This course features an eight-part interview series hosted by Dr. Lakeisha Mathews. The topics explore ways to advance DEIB and strategies for working with diverse students and clients. (6 CEs)

What’s New in Season 4?

October 1st marks the beginning of NCDA’s fourth season of the podcast. It will begin with a nine-episode series inspired by the DEI Symposium held at NCDA’s 2024 Global Career Development Conference and organized by NCDA’s Diversity Initiatives and Cultural Inclusion Committee. The first episode will release on October 8th – a “State of the Union DEIBA Panel” session led by Dr. Cheryl Love with Dr. Natasha Barnes-Gwynn, Dr. Nathanial Brown, Kyle Inselman, and Dr. Alicia Monroe.

The new season will also feature episodes related to establishing a private career development practice and the impact of artificial intelligence on the job search process.

Thank you to Dr. Sharon Givens, NCDA President 2021-2022, for her vision and guidance in developing this outlet to disseminate the voices and expertise of NCDA and industry leaders and create a new professional development option for career practitioners.

Do you want to participate in the podcast? Would you like to see a specific topic or person featured? Contact Melissa Venable, Director of Professional Development, at mvenable@ncda.org

Melissa A. Venable, PhD, is the Director of Professional Development for NCDA. She coordinates learning opportunities through The Hub, Career Practitioner Conversations podcast, and NCDA’s Webinar Series. Melissa has 20 years of experience in online education as an instructional designer, curriculum manager, and online instructor. Her professional background includes work in higher education career services and military outplacement counseling. She can be reached at: mvenable@ncda.org and https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissavenable/