Wheaton College is taking bold, proactive steps to help students prepare for life after Wheaton, making the Center for Vocation and Career (CVC) a key component of the From the Heart, For the Kingdom capital campaign. 

The CVC guides students in identifying their values, interests, skills, and strengths. Students explore a myriad of career opportunities and make connections with alumni through our extensive alumni network. In the end, the goal is to graduate students with a sustainable plan for life after college. 

Your gifts to the CVC will increase personnel and programming, giving students the support they need to explore the unique gifts God has given them and the life experiences that shape their skills and interests. Students will also uncover the many ways they can use their gifts and experiences by participating in internships, career trips, job shadowing, and Externship Day. And, they will learn to articulate their marketplace value through resumes, LinkedIn profiles, interview skills, and networking opportunities. 

The Center for Vocation and Career currently makes its home in the Advancement, Vocation, and Alumni Engagement division, and partners with Opus: The Art of Work, which provides leadership in the interdisciplinary study of faith and work.

Wheaton alumna Barbara Bates Alexander ’77 has had an illustrious career in the federal government as a senior executive in the intelligence community and now works in the private sector at AECOM, a global critical infrastructure company. She remains active in the Wheaton College community by serving as a Wheaton College Leadership Council member. Here is what she had to say about the empowering influence of Wheaton College’s Center for Vocation and Career:

“Wheaton’s emphasis on the fact that ‘All truth is God’s truth’ helped confirm for me that whether one is a scientist or a musician or a government employee or a pastor or a missionary, each vocation is God-given and each area of service is equally sacred ground. 

“This calling is important to our careers, but equally important is how we conduct our lives at home, at church, and in any other interaction. This calling isn’t restricted to people in Christian ministry; every one of us has a specific role to play in the Kingdom. 

“The Center for Vocation and Career takes this understanding and helps students go beyond the question of ‘What job do I get after college?’ to the fundamental question of ‘What are the gifts God has given me, and how can I use them to advance His Kingdom wherever I am called?’ 

“Through the CVC and its partner Opus: The Art of Work, Wheaton will help students and faculty look at the breadth of vocational calling—to identify their gifts, to help discern where these gifts can be used in the marketplace, and to hone these gifts in order to serve the Lord with excellence. 

“I encourage Wheaton parents, friends, and my fellow alumni to support the CVC. Wheaton was a transformative experience for most of us. Wheaton alumni are serving God in amazing places in every field of endeavor. The opportunities available for students today are so many and so varied that they almost cause paralysis. And the societal challenges are truly staggering. The CVC serves as the connector between the student life on campus, the alumni and others who can guide them, and the many possibilities for serving God in their life after Wheaton.

“Wheaton’s CVC professionals truly care about the future of our students and are eager to equip students well for what is to come. But effective programming, tools, and dedicated personnel are costly. And yet the return on investment is the equipping of disciples who are prepared not just with the intellectual knowledge of their major area of study, but also with the insight and practical vision to use their vocational calling ‘For Christ and His Kingdom.’”