Career and life skills are the core of every SMC degree.
The best return on your college investment is a great job and a successful life. At SMC, your degree is focused on skills that give you more options and opportunities, no matter where your career or life take you.
Employers Want Career Skills
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) found that employers see a gap between expected skills and graduate readiness in a recent study.
Watch: SMC's Camak Core Focuses Your Degree on Career and Life Skills
Free Application.
No Test Scores Required.
No Test Scores Required.
SMC IS AFFORDABLE.
SAVE BIG ON YOUR DEGREE.
SAVE BIG ON YOUR DEGREE.
Major in career and life skills at the same time you earn a degree
The Camak Core is SMC's career/life skills "major" featuring hands-on experiences for all students.Academic concentrations are like mini-majors. You can customize your SMC degree by picking two concentrations. All students take the Camak Core concentration.
Communication, teamwork, collaboration, understanding information, and problem-solving are skills that need to be learned and practiced. Employers want you to have those skills before you start work, no matter what career path you choose. You'll learn these and other skills by participating in project-based and hands-on learning experiences in your Camak Core classes.
Pro tip: these same career skills that can make you a main character at work can also make you a main character in life.
Geovana Batres Ardon Wins First Place in APEX Showcase
Senior Capstone Presentations Culminate Career Skills LearningWATCH: the APEX SHOWCASE 2023
Camak Core classes start in your junior year at SMC.
By graduation, you'll have the skills and confidence you need to be successful.WATCH: How the Camak Core Fits Into Your SMC Degree (and why it's called "Camak Core!")
Your academic major teaches you learning skills. The Camak Core teaches you career skills.
Both are important, but employers seek career skills first in addition to your major or grade point average when deciding who to hire.
See what the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found employers are looking for in career-readiness.
Watch: Hear How the Camak Core Attracted Conor DePaoli ('24) to SMC
Watch: Rodney Setzer ('23) Learned First-Hand How the Camak Core Applies in the Workplace.
Watch: Quinn Mann used the skills he learned in the Camak Core to advance his pursuit of a law degree.
Watch: Olivia Jackson and Eva Nix Share Their Testimonial on the Impact of Professional Development at SMC
Check out the Camak Core classes:
Class 1: Professional Communications
Communicating in the workplace is different than communicating in the classroom. This course will prepare you for an internship, teaches you how to network like a pro, and helps develop your interview and resume skills.Class 2: Internship
You'll complete 120 internship hours as part of your SMC degree. You can do all of your hours during one semester, or break it up into 40-hour increments over several semesters. You get to pick the internship experience(s), and we'll help you get placed with a company.Class 3: Community Discovery & Engagement
Professional Development and Leadership
Being a leader isn't about being the most important person at a company or on a team. No matter what job title you have, leadership is about knowing how to be a good work teammate, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and working to continuously improve (personally and professionally).Applied Technology
No matter what career you choose, some basic tech skills will give you a head start for job success and make you career-ready at graduation! Most colleges don't teach these skills, but at SMC, you’ll receive certificates in many technologies you can use in almost any career, including Microsoft Excel, data collection, website creation, and many others.Capstone Project
You'll showcase all of the career skills you learned over the past two years in a project of your choice. Start your own business, plan an incredible event, or create an organization that helps others. The project possibilities are endless but you now have the skills to do it. The confidence you'll gain from this final, incredible SMC experience is another important benefit. See 2022 student projects.Free Application.
No Test Scores Required.
No Test Scores Required.
SMC IS AFFORDABLE.
YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR FREE TUITION.
YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR FREE TUITION.