2026 Pre-Conference
New Graduate Career Professionals Pre-Conference Workshop: June 16 and June 22, 2026
- Open to all GCC members.
- If you are attending the Annual Conference, register for both June 16 and 22.
- If you cannot attend the Annual Conference in Sacramento, you are welcome to register for June 16. (Read on for more information.)
Join us at Pre-Con!
You are invited to register for one of the GCC’s most highly recommended professional-development events, the “New Graduate Career Professionals Workshop.” The 2026 Pre-Con experience includes both a required virtual and an in-person session. If you are new to GCC, new to career development, or new to working specifically with graduate students/postdoctoral scholars, (or want more time to engage with GCC), you are invited to this two-part workshop to learn about best practices for the field, hear perspectives from experienced members, and build a community together. Participants will meet online for a half-day session on Tuesday, June 16, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (EDT), AND will meet in Sacramento for a full-day, in-person, pre-conference session on Monday, June 22, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (PDT). To make this workshop accessible to all, if you do not have the budget to attend the GCC Annual Conference in Sacramento, we would love to have you join us virtually for the half-day online session the week before the conference.Registration Fees & Dates
Pre-Con Workshop Registration Fee: $50 (discounted from $250 due to the generosity of a conference sponsor)Pre-Con Workshop Dates: online on Tuesday afternoon, June 16, AND all-day in-person on Monday, June 22, 2026
Pre-Con registration coming soon!
Who should sign up for Pre-Con?
All are welcome, whether you are:- New in your career-development role;
- Attending your first GCC conference and seeking colleagues;
- Seeking concrete suggestions for advising/coaching, resources, and programs for graduate students and/or postdoctoral scholars
- Launching your own path as future leaders within the GCC and beyond.
What should you expect at Pre-Con?
Both sessions (June 16 and June 22) will include information and interactive case studies as we explore an Overview of Career Development, an Overview of Graduate Education, and an Overview of Program Design and Evaluation. The June 22 session will build on the foundations from the June 16 Zoom session. There will also be opportunity to meet and connect with one another.On June 22, we will meet all day in Sacramento. In addition to the “201” overview sessions building on the “101” foundations from June 16, we will also explore the work we do, our own professional development, program brainstorming and development, career-development resources and GCC resources, partnerships, how to navigate the conference, and ways to build community. We will hear from long-time GCC members, and there will be a variety of exploratory exercises. Be sure to arrive the night before, since we will begin early Monday morning with breakfast.