Career Readiness Skills
Build Skills for Your Future
A degree in the arts prepares you for more than a career in your chosen field. Through your time in the School of the Arts, you'll build skills that employers value.
Your classes, performances, productions, exhibitions, internships, creative projects, and other experiences give you chances to practice these skills. Use the list below to think about the skills you already have and areas where you can grow.
The examples below show specific actions that demonstrate and build that skill. Talk with your academic advisor or faculty mentor about ways to keep developing these skills throughout your time at ISU.
Skills in Action
Adaptability—Revise a creative work, performance, rehearsal plan, or production role in response to critique, technical needs, or changing audience and project requirements.
Career and Self-Development—Use exhibitions, performances, portfolios, internships, auditions, or professional networking to explore creative careers and refine your artistic goals.
Communication—Communicate artistic ideas, creative intent, or constructive feedback clearly to audiences, collaborators, and clients.
Critical Thinking—Research, evaluate, and apply artistic, historical, technical, or audience-based information to strengthen a creative work or production decision.
Leadership—Take initiative to organize a rehearsal, exhibition, production task, or creative project that advances a shared artistic goal.
Professionalism—Prepare reliably, meet production or project deadlines, honor commitments, and respond constructively to feedback in creative and professional settings.
Teamwork—Collaborate respectfully with artists, performers, designers, technicians, and production staff to create a cohesive final work.
Technology—Use appropriate creative technologies, equipment, or digital platforms to produce, document, promote, or present artistic work.
Learn More
The ISU Career Center provides detailed information about each career readiness skill, including descriptions and examples of the knowledge, experiences, and actions students can take to develop these skills within each of our schools.