CAPX: Career and Professional Experience | Creative Career Resources

Building Creative Careers

Ready to build your creative future? Whether you’re launching a freelance gig, exploring what’s next, or shaping your career path, we’re your partners in navigating the professional side of your practice—with advising, workshops, and opportunities that move you forward.

At SAIC, career readiness is built into everything you do. Every project, critique, and collaboration helps you build the NACE Career Readiness Competencies—eight essential skills for creative success: career and self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, teamwork, and technology. CAPX helps you strengthen these skills through advising, programs, and internships that turn your creative practice into professional confidence.

Employment Rate

94% of 2024 graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation.

94%

Our Alumni

Launching Creative Careers

With employers prioritizing essential skills like critical thinking and communication in their industries, it is no wonder that SAIC students go on to do some pretty incredible things. Check out what a few of our alums are up to right now.

A portrait of a woman in front of a modern office space

Amy Lawson Smeed

As head of animation at Walt Disney Studios, Lawson Smeed’s work can be seen in films like Tangled, Moana, and Frozen.

Minh-Tam Nguyen

Nguyen is a senior face designer at Mattel, becoming an advocate for diverse representation in toy design with her Barbie creations.

Angelique Power

As current president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, Power (MFA 1998, HON 2022) understands the importance of intergenerational community and collaboration.

A portrait of a man in glasses and a leather coat

Zach Weiss

With a Master's in Designed Objects, Weiss has turned his lifelong fascination with watches into a thriving business that spans publishing, retail, and global events.

Cynthia Pelayo

From horror novels to fantastical short story collections, Bram Stoker Award–winning author Pelayo (MFA 2010) writes widely.

Emily Pilloton

With an MFA in Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, Pilloton founded Girls Garage, the country’s first-ever design construction school for female identifying youth.

Gabriel Bump

Chicago native Bump is a professor and award-winning author of the book Everywhere You Don’t Belong.

Chris Naka

Naka is Atlas Obscura's director of creative development, overseeing everything from podcasts to film production.

Amanda Ross-Ho

Ross-Ho is a visual artist whose work has been featured in solo shows worldwide and in the 2008 Whitney Biennial.

Connect Online

Handshake is SAIC’s online career platform where you can discover opportunities, connect with employers, and stay informed about CAPX programs and events. Through Handshake, you can:

• Search and apply for thousands of creative jobs and internships
• Schedule appointments with CAPX advisors
• Register for workshops, info sessions, and career fairs
• Build your profile to showcase your skills and portfolio

For SAIC Alums
Alums have lifelong access to Handshake and all CAPX services. To request access email handshake-support@saic.edu with your name, graduation year, and SAIC ID number (if available).

For Employers
Interested in hiring SAIC talent or participating in an event? Visit our For Employers page to learn more about connecting with students and alums.

College students of varying ethnicities and genders gather around a table.

Career Readiness Programming

CAPX programs connect your creative practice with real-world opportunities. Join career fairs, employer talks, skill-building workshops, and panels that spotlight creative paths in art, design, and beyond. Meet artists, alums, and industry pros to share ideas, build your network, and prepare for what’s next.

Students and alums: Log in to Handshake and click the “Events” tab for full event information and registration.

Some CAPX events are recorded and available for current students to view on Panopto.

Friday, May 1
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Sharp, LeRoy Neiman Center, 1st Floor
Register on Handshake

CHANEL’s legacy has shaped fashion for more than a century, and this session offers a rare look inside the creative culture that drives it today. Blair Disbrow (BFA 2014), Group Director at CHANEL, will guide attendees through the brand’s history, core values, lasting influence on the luxury market, and how SAIC students and alums can get involved.

Blair will share how CHANEL approaches craft and brand experience, offering insight into the systems that support its signature aesthetic and the collaborative work behind each collection. She will highlight the skills and mindsets that help emerging creatives thrive within the company and explain what students should know when exploring CHANEL’s internships and early-career roles.

This event is hosted in partnership with SAIC's Fashion Department.

How We Prepare You

Professional Practice Experience

Required for all undergraduates, this course preps you for life after SAIC. Instructors from across all departments guide third-year students through an evolving curriculum of job prep, project development, and network building.

Students of varying ethnicities, ages, and genders work on laptops in a classroom.

360-Degree Advising

Career, faculty, and peer advisors work with students and alums, tailoring coaching to serve your individual needs while helping you to identify your strengths, values, skills, and experiences.

Job Search Strategies and Interview Training

CAPX offers on-demand virtual interview training for all experience levels. Internet access is all you need for 24/7 practice and valuable feedback from a dedicated team.

Students gathered in the MacLean ballroom during SAIC’s internship and career expo.

Help With Emerging Industries

Bold, unconventional, innovative—these are just some of the qualities SAIC encourages in students. For artists and designers who want to forge a more unique path after graduation, CAPX has dedicated resources for building a future in an emerging industry as a freelance creative or through entrepreneurship.

Students meeting potential employers at CAPX's career fair

Career-Focused Events

CAPX hosts career-related events throughout the school year. Through panels, practical workshops, info sessions, and professional expos, students and alums have the opportunity to meet with industry leaders for career advice, creative critiques, and professional recruitment.

From Classroom to CTA: Lauren Nickels on Designing for Connection

Student Lauren Nickels’ internship with the Chicago Transit System (CTA) places her inside the systems she depends on as a rider. In her role, she applies research-driven, playful design to internal projects that support the people who keep Chicago moving.

Explore

Blue and white background with pink and blue train

Image courtesy of Lauren Nickels, graphic by Sophia Salganicoff

MEET LAUREN NICKELS

Read the Story

BUILDING CTA COMMUNITY

In her internship, Nickels focuses on design work rarely seen by the public but deeply felt by employees. Her projects range from internal graphics and printed materials to hands-on employee engagement events held at bus garages and rail terminals.

Learn More

Lauren Nickels sits in a meeting room smiling and holding up a peace sign, surrounded by coworkers

RESEARCH AND PLAY

Nickels brings lessons from SAIC directly into her internship, including a custom game inspired by her Heavy Cardboard board game design class. These experiences show how a design education rooted in adaptability translates into practical tools for collaboration, storytelling, and real-world problem solving.

See More of Lauren's Work