POVESTEA LABORATORULUI DE CONSILIERE ȘI ORIENTARE ÎN CARIERĂ (LabCOC) – COMUNITATEA CARE CONSTRUIEȘTE CARIERE

Every authentic professional journey begins with a question about oneself and takes shape through the connections we forge with others. This work is an invitation to discover the world of the Career Counseling and Guidance Laboratory (LabCOC) within the Learning Center of the University of Bucharest, a vibrant space designed as a bridge between student years and the challenges of the labor market. In essence, it reflects the story of a dedicated community that builds and transforms uncertainty into clarity, vocation into direction, and every student’s potential into a sustainable life and career path. Grounded in contemporary conceptual frameworks and open to innovative trends in career development, the book explores career as a fluid and multidirectional process. The content draws upon classic and contemporary benchmarks: from Donald E. Super’s Career Development Theory and life role dynamics, to William Bridges’ psychological navigation of transition stages, Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset, and the alignment of personal purpose through the Ikigai model. All these theories and models come to life through the four gateways of the development path offered by LabCOC’s activities: academic orientation and adaptation, self-knowledge, career exploration (professions and occupations), and navigating first real work experiences. Documented through testimonies and images illustrating LabCOC’s mission and the activities of beneficiary students, practicing master’s students, and domain mentors and researchers—professors, PhD students, and alumni alike—this volume brings together rigorous research, applied workshops, and reflective practice in career counseling and guidance. It thus becomes both a methodological guide for specialists and practitioners in education, counseling, and human resources, and an open invitation to collaborate within an empathetic university ecosystem where we learn, navigate career transitions, and grow together. The LabCOC team invites you to become part of the story of this learning and support community, to contribute to the growth of the laboratory and the Learning Center of the University of Bucharest, and to shape the future of career counseling and guidance together!