Student Voice: Thematic Analysis of the Horizons Career Development Survey

Abstract

This report presents a thematic analysis of 112 open-ended survey responses collected in December 2025 from students who had participated in the Horizons Career Development Program. Horizons is the University of Ottawa's bilingual digital career development program, developed and managed by the Career Development and Experiential Learning (CDEL) unit and integrated with the in-person services and relational programming offered at Career Corner. Using inductive thematic analysis, eight recurring thematic clusters were identified and aligned with CDEL's five Career Development Learning Outcomes and the program-level objective of Career Agency. Findings confirm that students are experiencing the developmental shifts that career development theory predicts, including growth in self-awareness, career clarity, confidence, and goal-directed agency. A cross-cutting finding of direct institutional consequence emerges consistently: the deepest developmental outcomes are produced through sustained relational interaction within the stable environment of Career Corner, not through digital engagement alone. Three recommendations are offered: universal automatic access to Horizons for all incoming students, expansion of multiple embedding pathways, and sustained investment in the relational infrastructure of Career Corner.