In any given job, soft skills account for 75% of long-term job success, while technical knowledge accounts for only 25%. That’s why MyComputerCareer stands out among IT education programs: we have a major focus on soft skills and real-life preparation.
“We knew we had a great IT program. But we asked ourselves, ‘What’s missing?’ We wanted to know how to make it an ever better experience,” said Beth Nichols, Director of Student Engagement at MyComputerCareer. “We wanted to give the students something even more.”
That’s how the Pathways Program at MyComputerCareer was born. In addition to teaching IT skills, MyComputerCareer also has the Pathways Program, which teaches valuable soft skills to help students succeed in the workplace — and in life. While the teachers help students learn about cybersecurity, database fundamentals, and operating systems, the Student Engagement team is preparing students to succeed long after they finish their courses.
The Pathways Program: Skills for Life
In an age of AI, soft skills are becoming even more important. According to Forbes, 80% of respondents say soft skills are more important than ever. That’s why MyComputerCareer includes soft skills — also called “durable skills” or “power skills” —- as part of our curriculum.
The meat and potatoes of the Pathways Program is a series of 30 modules — one a week for the duration of the IT skills training. The modules have five lessons each and span six different topics. The lessons focus on soft skills and useful tips for their long-term career, covering subjects such as:
- How to handle ambiguity
- How to manage change
- Interviewing tips
- Ways to construct a resume that reflects your skills
- Why it’s important to focus on integrity and character
- How to network effectively
- The value of creativity
One of the lessons is about legacy. Many students are trying to change the trajectory of their own lives and provide a better future for their families. They want a better quality of life, better benefits, and higher pay. This course helps students focus on their “why” and turn their interest into true commitment.
In addition to the modules, the Pathways Program has an ongoing discussion board. Students can share tips and tricks, ask questions, and encourage each other. It’s a valuable resource for feedback. The discussion boards are where learning turns into application and true understanding. Last year, students posted more 52,000 times on the discussion board, showing how crucial the interactive learning tool is to Pathway students.
Providing Individualized Support
In addition to the 30 learning modules, the Pathways Program offers personalized outreach to each student, usually in the form of e-cards. Life and school often overlap and can affect the other, so e-cards can be about a wide range of topics, both personal and academic to give students extra encouragement.
“We started sending personalized e-cards to students because we realized students were sometimes facing personal issues during our program,” said Tykiera Hall, Student Engagement Coordinator at MyComputerCareer. “E-cards are for our students that may just need encouragement. Maybe they are going through some personal issues, health issues, or other problems within their family. This is our way of offering an extra level of support to let them know we are here — not just for school, but we care about you as a human, as a person outside of school.”
Whether someone had an exciting life milestone like getting married or having a child or they are struggling with some tough challenges, the Pathways Program team is there. If a student gets a good score on a test, they get a congratulatory email. If they didn’t do well on a test, they may get an email offering encouragement and extra resources.
In 2024, the Pathways team sent more than 30,000 e-cards to students. So far in 2025, MyComputerCareer has sent more than 24,000 emails about personal life (including birthdays, health and life events, and exam pass/fail results) as well as more than 11,000 scheduled e-cards for program checkpoints.
Sending that many emails is a lot of work, but it’s proven to help students succeed. While participation in the Pathways Program is optional and does not affect their grade, MyComputerCareer highly encourages students to join. On average, about 75% of the students in a cohort choose to participate. The soft skills and personal support make a major difference. In 2024, the graduation rate for students who completed Pathways was 85%. In 2022 and 2023, the statistics were similar: the graduation rate of participants were 87% and 82%, respectively.
Giving students the “it” factor
More than two thirds of employers say they value soft skills more than educational qualifications when hiring. The soft skills taught in MyComputerCareer’s Pathways Program give our students the shining “it” factor that helps them stand out to potential employers. The communication, organization, and teamwork skills make them valuable candidates. Not only do these skills help them through job application and interview processes, they also prepare students to be successful long after they graduate. In fact, once you have a job, Forbes points out that soft skills are the key to getting promoted.
MyComputerCareer believes the soft skills taught in the Pathways Program are a major factor in students’ success. From reaching out to students before classes start to teaching them interview skills, the Student Engagement team is what makes MyComputerCareer an excellent education experience that benefits students for the rest of their careers.
