Carmen Gold-Johnson, who recently joined Utah Law as director of the Career Development Office, has nearly a decade of experience in the career services industry—and she originally envisioned a different career for herself.
“I earned a bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Utah because I wanted to be an art teacher. I taught art in after-school programs and worked with local community centers to put on art workshops,” Gold-Johnson recalls. “Then I shifted toward higher education and completed the U’s Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP) program with an emphasis on student affairs. That launched my career path working with students at the University of Utah in different capacities.”
While still in the ELP program, Gold-Johnson began working in the University of Utah’s Office of the Dean of Students, focusing on conduct and policy work, before becoming a career coach and eventually career coaching director with the university’s U Career Success.
“During my time at U Career Success, I have been building relationships with the different colleges throughout the university. I’ve been lucky to rise from a career coach to a director in the career development world, which was then a beautiful transition into this new role.”
Utah Law appealed to Gold-Johnson because she could focus more on individual coaching.
“I was working with thousands of students and 10 to 15 career coaches at U Career Success. I liked the idea of making a shift in my career to supporting and helping students in a small niche community. I’m excited to get to know the students and people I’m working with and tailor my advice to them,” she says. “I’m impressed by the small but very impactful community the law school brings.”
With nearly nine years of career coaching behind her, Gold-Johnson says she is proud to have created a culture that focuses on career readiness on the University of Utah campus.
“I’ve worked with the veteran population, students in fine arts and athletics, and undergraduates in so many pockets of campus. It’s fun to build a career culture and know that students have a structure in place to help them,” she says. “I like to think, What is the next community on campus I can impact? I’m excited to help create more of that career culture within the law school.”
The best part of the job is working with students to determine their passions, Gold-Johnson explains.
“I get to be a little sliver in their journey to a career, which is so rewarding. I see former students on LinkedIn, and it’s so cool to see where they are now. One student I helped is working in Washington, D.C., like we talked about years ago,” she says. “Helping students decide what they want to do in life is the best thing ever.”
Gold-Johnson wants students to know that the Career Development Office door is always open, no matter where they are on their career journeys.
“We’re here for you whether you know exactly what you want to do after graduation or whether you have no idea. One of our office’s goals is to increase one-on-one appointments, because we can help students tailor their plans and have a conversation,” she says. “Sometimes a barrier with career coaching is feeling like you don’t know what you want or what your questions are. That’s OK. Come chat with us, and by the time we finish our conversation, you’ll be a little closer to answering your questions.”
When she isn’t at work, Gold-Johnson enjoys hanging out with her husband and son, going camping or hiking, and cooking and gardening together.
“With an art background, I love to do anything where I can be creative,” she says. “We do tons of art projects at home because I live vicariously through my son as an art teacher.”