SF State and Braven Career Accelerator (AU 220)
The SF State and Braven Career Accelerator (AU 220) is a 3-credit course designed to help prepare undergraduates for the competitive, globalized job marketplace.
During AU 220, undergraduates are immersed in an experiential learning environment that gives them the roadmap and tools to channel their ambition and hard work towards their academic and professional careers. Undergraduates will:
- Create a professional portfolio (e.g. a resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter);
- Work in small, interactive cohorts led by a volunteer professional coach;
- Practice interview skills with professionals from partnering organizations; and
- It counts toward graduation!
What Braven Fellows are saying across the national network
“By taking the course, I believe that the mock interviews, capstone challenge, and mentorship program gave me the additional resources and practice to succeed in my strong first job and internship.”
Spring 2022 Fellow
Jason Tran
San José State University
Data Analyst, BayOptiks
"Braven helped me prepare a dynamic resume and introduced me to LinkedIn. They also taught me to be prepared for interview questions and research the place before the interview. I thought I interviewed well in the past, but they took me to a new level of preparation and confidence."
Fall 2022 Fellow
Rosalinda Yco
California State University - East Bay
Graduate Student Pursuing Master of Social Work
“Braven’s impact has been incredible. My interview confidence has grown tremendously through mock sessions, revealing critical insights into the professional landscape. I’ve learned to hone my resume and become a more effective networker. Beyond preparing me for success, Braven fosters a supportive community, making them an invaluable partner in my career journey.”
Spring 2021 Fellow
Enrique Medel
National Louis University
Youth Residential Specialist, Thresholds (non-profit)
Why AU 220?
- Join a growing national network of 9,100 Fellows whom students can connect with and lean on for professional connections.
- Discover more internship opportunities. Compared with graduates nationally, Braven 2023 graduates from their partner schools were 23 percentage points more likely to have at least one internship or similar career-accelerating experience during college.
- Start your career strong. 76% of Braven graduates nationally are already outearning their parents at the same age in their first job out of college. By comparison, by age 30, Americans have a 50-50 shot of outearning their parents.
Nationally, Braven Fellows who have graduated have achieved a 91% six-year on-time graduation rate.
Sophomores and new transfers are encouraged to enroll in the SF State and Braven Career Accelerator course.
Metro College Success Program participants are highly encouraged to enroll during the spring of their second year.
Offered as an All University Course for 3 credits, this course is also offered as a major elective in Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel (FINA), Business, and Public Health.
The SF State and Braven Career Accelerator is broken down into three sections. Throughout the course, students (called Fellows) are teamed up in cohorts with other SF State students from various majors, allowing them to connect with peers and form connections outside their academic area of study.
Design Your Career: While bonding with a cohort of Fellows by sharing core value stories, students will explore leadership, values, and career interests, which will help them create a career project plan.
Launch Your Career: Students build or refine their resumes, develop their interview skills through mock interviews and informational interviews with professionals, and learn to communicate their stories and strengths clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing. They receive extensive feedback on their cover letters and mock interviews and practice their skills at networking events.
Capstone Challenge: Each semester, Braven partners with an employer for the Capstone Challenge, a five-week project where Fellows use design thinking to solve a real-world problem proposed by the employer. Fellows present their solutions to employers and develop teamwork, leadership, project planning, and public speaking skills.
Upon completion of the Accelerator course, students receive access to additional optional opportunities to develop leadership and career readiness skills, engage in an enduring professional network, and stay on track to securing strong internships and jobs. Students may:
- Be a part of a 12-week professional 1:1 mentoring program in their desired field as they get closer to the time of their job search.
- Receive Braven-specific emails announcing job and internship opportunities.
- Benefit from one-off professional development and networking events like workshops and skill builders with employer partners.
Join the Braven National Network with peers from other colleges and universities nationwide for community support and resources after the course to launch their careers!