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.

Wednesday, April 1
3:30–5:00 p.m.
MacLean, Room 302
Register on Handshake

This interactive workshop is designed to help participants feel confident and prepared as they move through the job search process. They’ll gain a clear, career-focused approach that brings structure and clarity to their search.

The session is organized into focused chapters covering goal-setting, discovering opportunities beyond public job boards, understanding the hidden job market, and staying organized with a job-search tracking system. Participants will also have time to work through their own search and ask questions.

This event is ideal for students approaching graduation or anyone exploring career options.
Monday, April 6
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Sharp, Room 327
Register on Handshake

This session will give participants a clear look at how to share their art online in an intentional, true-to-their-practice way. They'll get a simple breakdown of what analytics mean, how to think about marketing their work, and how to connect with communities that support their growth.

How to prepare:
Bring a SMART goal for your social media use and any questions you want to talk through during the session.
Review CAPX's resource on Personal Branding and Social Media.
This event is part of CAPX's How It Works series, which offers a set of concentrated, skills-oriented sessions that present critical components of creative careers as applicable methods for students and alums. Sessions offer practical strategies and expert guidance anchored in current professional standards.

About the speaker:
The session will be led by Rainn Thomas (she/they), Social Media Manager at the Art Institute of Chicago. Rainn brings experience from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, as well as from their own creative work as a writer, poet, and artist. They also produced the queer open mic "Fruit Salad" for three years.
Wednesday, April 8
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Lakeview, Room 1429
Register on Handshake

This drop-in mini session is designed to help participants strengthen and refine their job search strategy with time to review their goals, adjust their approach, and make their search more intentional.

CAPX staff will be available to help troubleshoot challenges and tailor a strategy based on where participants are in the process. Drop in for targeted guidance, planning support, or a quick check-in to stay organized and focused as the search continues.
Wednesday, April 8
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Virtual
Register on Handshake

If you're interested in conducting research, attending grad school, or teaching English abroad for a year, join this virtual information session conducted by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to learn about the prestigious program and why you should apply. Following Fulbright's presentation to all art schools, SAIC-affiliated attendees will be placed in a breakout room with SAIC's Fulbright Program, Grants, and Residencies Advisor, Christalena Hughmanick.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have an undergraduate degree by September 2027 to apply to the U.S. Student Fulbright Program.
Wednesday, April 8
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Virtual
Register on Handshake

Step inside the creative engine behind some of Disney’s most beloved animated films. Amy Smeed (BFA 1997), Head of Animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios, will break down how a major animated feature comes to life, using examples from Encanto, Frozen 2, WISH, and Raya and the Last Dragon.

Amy will guide participants through the artistic and technical decisions that shape every frame, offering a rare look at the collaboration across character animation, visual development, story, modeling, rigging, layout, effects animation, crowds, and lighting. She’ll share insights from more than two decades at Disney Animation, including her work on Moana, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Raya, Strange World, Zootopia 2, and more.

This session is ideal for students interested in animation, video, new media, visual communication design, game design, illustration, and drawing, as well as anyone curious about storytelling, world-building, or the pipeline behind feature animation.

About the speaker:
Amy Smeed is the Head of Animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios and a longtime creative leader at the studio. She began her career in 1998 on Dinosaur and became an animator in 2004 on Chicken Little. Her animation of Rapunzel in Tangled earned her a VES Award nomination. Originally from Royal Oak, Michigan, Amy earned her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997. Her career reflects a lifelong passion for painting, character performance, and collaborative storytelling at Disney Animation, where she has also had the chance to work alongside her husband, Tony Smeed.
Monday, April 13
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Lakeview, Room 1429
Register on Handshake

This drop-in mini session is designed to help participants strengthen and refine their job search strategy with time to review their goals, adjust their approach, and make their search more intentional.

CAPX staff will be available to help troubleshoot challenges and tailor a strategy based on where participants are in the process. Drop in for targeted guidance, planning support, or a quick check-in to stay organized and focused as the search continues.
Wednesday, April 22
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Lakeview, Room 1429
Register on Handshake

This drop-in mini session is designed to help participants strengthen and refine their job search strategy with time to review their goals, adjust their approach, and make their search more intentional.

CAPX staff will be available to help troubleshoot challenges and tailor a strategy based on where participants are in the process. Drop in for targeted guidance, planning support, or a quick check-in to stay organized and focused as the search continues.
Monday, April 27
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Lakeview, Room 1429
Register on Handshake

This drop-in mini session is designed to help participants strengthen and refine their job search strategy with time to review their goals, adjust their approach, and make their search more intentional.

CAPX staff will be available to help troubleshoot challenges and tailor a strategy based on where participants are in the process. Drop in for targeted guidance, planning support, or a quick check-in to stay organized and focused as the search continues.

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.