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Building the Skills for What Comes Next

Posted By Alfred University

Aug 15, 2026 | Current Students General Blogs Parents & Families Pre-College

A class project. An internship. Research with a professor. A campus job. A leadership role.

Each experience at Alfred University can help you develop skillsthat employers value. The Career Development Center helps students recognize those skills, connect them to their goals and learn how to communicate what they can do.

“Students are developing so many skills through their classes, jobs, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities,” said Jessica Doner, director of Alfred University’s Career Development Center. “Our job is to help them recognize those skills and understand how to communicate their value.”

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Recognizing what you have to offer

Doner saw the importance of that work firsthand while working in career development at Texas A&M University-Central Texas.

She was helping a student prepare to introduce herself to prospective employers. The student struggled to talk about herself and became emotional. Doner helped her recognize what she had to offer and find the words to express it.

By the end of the conversation, the student was smiling and feeling much more confident.

“That was my a-ha moment, when I knew this is what I wanted to do,” Doner said.

Today, she helps Alfred students make those same connections—whether they’re exploring careers, looking for internships, preparing for interviews or getting ready to enter the workforce.

Bringing career trends back to Alfred

Doner’s work at Alfred is also informed by what employers and career professionals are seeing nationally.

She is active with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and serves as co-lead of its Liberal ArtsColleges and Majors affinity group. She will also serve on NACE’sSkills Based Hiring Task Force, which is exploring how employersdefine and assess skills—including AI skills—in early-career hiring.

“There is an important conversation happening right now about skills—what employers are looking for, how students are developing those skills, and whether they know how to talk about what they can do,” Doner said.

Her involvement allows her to bring those national conversationsback to Alfred students.

“I love that I get to be part of that conversation nationally and bring what I’m learning back to the work we’re doing with students at Alfred,” she said.

Turning experiences into skills

Employers want to understand not only what students studied, but what they can do.

Research can strengthen analytical thinking and problem-solving. An internship can build communication and professional skills. Athletics can develop teamwork, discipline and time management. Student organizations can provide leadership experience. Class projects can strengthen collaboration, creativity and adaptability.

Helping students make those connections is also central to Doner’s doctoral research. She is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where her dissertation examines how employers describe the skills they seek in early-career job postings.

Her research, national leadership and work at Alfred share a common goal: helping students understand the value of their education and communicate it to others.

You don’t need to have your future figured out

Doner’s own career didn’t follow a straight line. A first-generation college student, she earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology before eventually finding her calling in higher education and career development.

It’s a perspective she brings to students who may still be figuring out what comes next.

For Doner, one of the most rewarding moments is when studentsbegin to recognize how much their Alfred experiences are already preparing them for the future.

“I would say it’s when students start to realize all they are doing at Alfred is preparing them for life post-graduation,” she said. “Just seeing their confidence grow…If I could bottle that feeling and sell it, I’d be a very rich woman.”