2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference
By Atsunari Sakuma (CDA147855)
Conference Theme and Overview
The 2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia, June 17–20, under the theme “Autonomy to Change: Evolving and Adapting Career Development in Revolutionary Times.”
It was a highly thought-provoking event, shedding light on what is currently attracting attention in a world undergoing rapid transformation. According to NCDA President Marty Apodaca, the
earlier-than-usual timing of the conference this year was to honor Juneteenth (June 19)—a day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people during the Civil War—and the city of Atlanta
of the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a symbol of the civil rights movement. He stressed the importance of moving forward with equity and justice, together with colleagues united in
this cause.
Keynote Highlights
The first keynote
was delivered by Sonny Wong, a psychotherapist from Canada with over 25 years of experience, on “How Career Practitioners Should Face AI.”
He emphasized that while AI technologies and tools are increasingly integrated into career development, the irreplaceable value of human facilitation lies in empathy, psychological safety, and
accepting nuance. To truly bring out this value, practitioners must adapt to AI, enhance their skills, and reflect on how their professional identity evolves in a technology-driven world.
At the same time, Wong pointed out potential limitations and risks of AI, such as:
・reinforcing stereotypes that restrict resources available to low-income individuals or people with disabilities,
・trivializing youth career issues,
・and failing to understand grief and trauma
caused by unemployment.
He also reminded us that some clients may prefer not to use AI tools, underscoring that AI should remain supplementary and ethically monitored.
The second keynote was presented by Dr. Marian Higgins (Georgia State University) on the Power of Advocacy. She emphasized, everyone can advocate for change. Advocacy is fundamental to the profession’s values, ethical code, and strategic plan. Individuals should recognize and utilize identities, privileges, and positionality for advocacy. Advocacy for marginalized populations should be sustainable by creating collaborative systems sharing various roles over time, not by individual saviors. Advocacy requires courage, risk, commitment, and rest. Rest is essential for rejuvenation, refreshing, and renewal, ensuring sustainability.
(Advocacy: comprehend support, aid, and promotion.)
A Heartwarming Dialogue with Dr. Savickas
My first NCDA
conference was in Phoenix in 2018, where I unexpectedly encountered Dr. Mark Savickas in a hotel lobby. At his invitation, I sat down, and he immediately began the famous Career
Construction Interview question: “Who is your hero?” I wrote about the moving experience in JCDA Journal No.69 (2018).
The following year, many Japanese participants attended the NCDA conference hoping to meet him. Dr. Savickas kindly responded to our enthusiasm by arranging informal circle conversations. Six
years later, this year again, he generously took time to talk with us and left us with the following profound message:
“In uncertain, risky times when the future is unclear, love, support, and acceptance must be found in ourselves, our families, and our friends. While you may pour love into your work, work will not love you back. As society becomes crazier, people increasingly turn to faith and family, reminiscent of ‘village life’ and ‘community’ for safety and welcome. Especially for youth and retirees, it is vital to feel both the sense of belonging (‘we’) and the sense of independence (‘I’). ‘Belonging’ reflects healthy interdependence, which creates autonomy through balance—it is independence without isolation. In the future, when people face career and life choices, they will increasingly prioritize connection in community and place, meaning where and with whom matter more than what the job is.”
For me, the NCDA conference began as a place of awe and inspiration, meeting theorists I admired. Over time, it has become a place to internalize fundamental perspectives for confronting a changing world, and to deepen exchanges with people who left a strong impression on me. Learning about DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), social justice, and advocacy, I have joined and organized study groups in Japan, where more interested people are gathering. With the NCDA Code of Ethics revised last year—including consideration of AI’s impact—I strongly felt at this year’s conference that the challenges and urgency in daily practice transcend national borders.
“Once You Decide to Go, Just Move Forward!”
By Ryoko Takahashi (CDA151723)
In the fall of 2023, I moved to Pennsylvania, USA, due to my husband’s work assignment. I saw this as a chance to attend the NCDA conference, but with my young son, I gave up on 2024. I then resolved, “Maybe I can challenge myself in 2025.”
My motivation came from being deeply inspired by Savickas’s theory during my training course of Career Development Advisors in Japan —I had long hoped to meet him in person. Later, after becoming a member of NCDA, my desire to experience the conference firsthand only grew stronger. Once I committed to participating, the adjustments and preparations were intense. My husband took leave to care for our two-year-old son while I attended, and we made leisure plans for the two of them as well.
Walking around the venue, I could feel the unique atmosphere and excitement of being in the U.S., and I was truly glad I had come. Interacting with people from many countries was also a valuable experience. In preparation, I studied English for about 90 minutes daily—the first time since my child was born. I told myself, “Even if family health issues force me to cancel, this effort won’t be wasted. If I can’t attend next year because we’ve returned to Japan, I’ll go alone in 10 years!”
To those in Japan who may be hesitant: once you decide to go, take steps and start moving—you’ll get closer to making it happen.