Creative Careers

The Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement is designed to provide experiences and skills for unlocking innovation, identifying value propositions, and developing creative solutions. Students develop additional skills in research methods, marketing, branding, storytelling, prototyping, small business ownership, financial planning, project development, timeline mapping, and collaboration. The program includes communication skills, portfolio development, and visual presentation and pitching strategies. This certificate is designed for students who are just beginning to study and practice arts as well as students with substantial artistic experience who are looking for ways to redesign their creative livelihood. Students may focus on art studio, art photography, art history, dance, digital media, music, theater, or a combination of these. This program is a multidisciplinary educational experience that provides a foundation to advance to other certificates and associate’s degrees and/or to launch independent creative projects, collaborations, small businesses, or non-traditional creative careers.

Completion rates of the Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement are expected to be ten to twenty per year with a potential for annual growth. Growth is expected through a partnership with counseling, mirrored noncredit courses, career and academic pathways activities, and strategic marketing.

Cabrillo College is seeking approval from the Chancellor’s Office for the new Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement in Career Technical Education.  The Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement is for creative entrepreneurs interested in working in nontraditional, nonprofit, community and socially engaged work or for-profit business ventures. Skills taught include design thinking, collaboration, problem solving, small business development, communication, and innovation.The need for creative entrepreneurs has been advocated for by digital fabrication, digital media, photography, music, and music recording CTE Advisory Boards and is supported by current, regional labor market research (TOP1099.00).

The Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement is aligned with Cabrillo’s mission, master plan, and statewide community college work in Guided Pathways. Approval of this program will benefit artists and creatives by providing project planning and business skills to engage with the needs of the local community and support non-traditional and underserved minority students in viable careers and academic paths. The goal is for certificate completers to be gainfully employed by the 4th Fiscal Quarter or continue with an associate’s degree. This program would give our students the knowledge and skills they need to gain acceptance to a four-year institution or excel in the workforce. Reviewing labor market information shows jobs with potential for a starting salary of $55,680/yr in job fields such as artist, painter, sculpture, and illustrator. It is critical to give community college students educational and professional experiences that support successful careers in the arts and/or to position themselves for opportunities in industries where creative problem solving and innovation are needed.

The Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement is a program that focuses on self-directed careers in the arts. The certificate requires completing the Self-directed Creative Careers cross listed course and two additional courses in visual, applied and performing arts in history, theory, or practice (any AH/AP/ART/DANCE/DM/MUS/TA 1-99 course). Additional required coursework includes business and communication. 

The 16-18 unit certificate includes six courses as follows:

Any two AH/AP/ART/DANCE/DM/MUS/TA courses 1-99    3 - 4 units each (total 6-8)  - Semester 1 and Semester 2

COMM1/1H   3 units / Semester 2

CG 51     1 unit / Semester 1

VAPA79 (AH79, AP79, ART79, DANCE79, DM79, MUS79, TA79)   3 units / Semester 1

BUS 88 3 units /Semester 2

Total: 16-18 units

The Creative Careers Certificate of Achievement fulfills the needs of student entrepreneurs in the ever changing job market, providing them with the versatile skill sets needed to adapt and innovate. The Creative Career Certificate of Achievement can lead to additional certificates, associate’s degree, and/or job opportunities. This is an interdisciplinary effort by ten departments that addresses the growing demand on campus for a program that prepares students to move into their chosen field in the arts. The Creative Careers program shares learning goals with the art photography, art history, art studio, dance, digital media, music, and theatre departments. These goals include creative problem solving and innovation, visual and oral communication, and entrepreneurship. There is ongoing collaboration between these departments in curriculum development, including certificates and degrees.

There are no similar programs in the service area. In the SC-Monterey Sub-Region, there are no community colleges that issue awards on TOP 1099.00 Other Fine and Applied Arts.