Five days. One real challenge.
A different way to think about what's next.
A five-day career and business challenge for first-gen business students across San Diego who want to figure out what's next, and get better at figuring it out.
Meet other students. Learn from people doing interesting work across San Diego. Take on a real challenge. Leave with new connections, real experience, and a better idea of how to keep moving forward.
Cohort 1 launches January 2027 · 15–20 students · Apply by December 4
How the five days work
Your story. Your network. Real experience.
Interests + gifts
Outreach + engagement
Engaging real people to understand their problems
Built for first-gen business students across San Diego.
You're the first in your family to go to college, and you're studying business at a four-year school in San Diego.
Whether you're figuring out what you want to study, getting ready to apply for internships, or wondering how to get experience when you don't have much yet, this was built with you in mind.
Maybe you've worked hourly jobs or cared for family. You already have great stories. We'll help you tell them.
Not sure you fit? Apply anyway. We read every application.
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Start with you. Explore your experiences, interests, and gifts, and turn them into a story you can tell with confidence.
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Learn how to find and reach out to people, build relationships, and keep them going. Practice with San Diego professionals who volunteer as coaches.
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Your team uses design to take on a real challenge from a San Diego business or community organization. Talk to real people, test ideas, and present what you would do next.
Sound familiar?
What students told us at our workshops
If any of these sound like you, this was built for you.
“I hadn’t done anything like this before. It reminded me of sorority recruitment, I felt the same way: it was fun, stressful, but exciting.”
UCSD Designathon Student
Work on something real.
This isn't a case study with an answer in the back of the book.
You'll work with your team on a real challenge facing a San Diego business or community organization.
You'll meet people connected to the challenge, ask questions, look for what others might be missing, and use design to turn what you learn into ideas you can actually test.
By the end, you'll have more than something to put on a resume. You'll have a real experience you can talk about: the problem you explored, the people you learned from, what your team tried, what worked, what didn't and what you'd do next.
Applications for Cohort 1 are open.
Apply by December 4.
Fill out a short application. You can answer in writing or by video. We review on a rolling basis, so earlier is better.
Cost won't stand between you and being here. A small deposit holds your spot, and you get it back when you complete the program.
Not ready yet? Sign up for updates on future cohorts.
Designed by someone who gets you
I'm a first-generation college grad myself, so I know what it's like to figure out “career stuff” without a map. That's a big part of why I created Future Ready SD: to help more students get better at finding their own way forward.
After creating career growth programs at Intuit here in San Diego and traveling the country to help career centers and business schools set students up for success, I knew it was time to invest in my community and help local students better prepare for their future.
A Preview of What to Expect
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When we finished I feel a lot of achievement (I can do something actually). There are times that I’ve wanted to pursue an idea, but sometimes life or other priorities get in the way. This built the confidence of if I want I can go out there and do it.”
UCSD Designathon Student
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Your lecture was one of the best I've attended this semester! I loved how interactive it was, and it was really good for laying a good foundation for knowing what you want and one of the first steps to attaining what exactly you want. One piece that really stuck with me was that you may not start where you want to and keep an open mind.
SDSU Marketing Student
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Brian did a fantastic job really getting to know me and my goals before trying to give me any advice. At first, I assumed coaching sessions would be the generic career advice I’ve been hearing my whole student life, but it wasn’t that at all. I feel like Brian really understood my goals, thus giving me specific advice to reach those specific goals
CSUSM College of Business Student
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Brian was amazing to communicate with throughout the semester, he gave great advice and our talks flowed and never felt awkward.
CSUSM College of Business Student
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I really liked the overall message of reaching out to people and building relationships with others to build your network. It showed me how important building connections can be.
SDSU College of Business Student