Career exploration is a lifelong process, and there is no wrong way to explore! Check out some strategies below to get started.
Talk It Out Reflect Assess Attend an Event Use Online Career Guides Reach Out to Experts
Talk It Out
MEET WITH A CAREER ADVISOR
Figuring out your career path can be daunting, but the Career Exploration Center is here to support you! Whether you have career ideas you’d like to discuss, or you feel completely unsure about your future, you can schedule an appointment with a CEC advisor. We’ll listen to your story and help you identify next steps in exploring your options. You don’t have to do this all on your own!
Reflect
PONDER THIS…
Do you enjoy contemplating or journaling? Enjoy seeing how “who you are” relates to what you might want to do after college? Use this list of questions to reflect on what matters most to you.
Assess
TAKE A CAREER ASSESSMENT
Career assessments can be valuable for generating career suggestions based on your interests, strengths, personality, and values. While no assessment can definitively tell you what to do after college, they can provide new ideas and help you learn more about yourself.
Attend an Event
Many career-related events take place on campus and virtually each semester. Make the most of these opportunities to learn about different careers, connect with alumni and employers, and engage with fellow students who are also exploring their options.
UW-Madison Career Events
Explore a variety of career events hosted by UW career offices and employers. To access, click “Events” at the top of the Handshake home page. You can use the filters to search events of interest to you.
Use Online Career Guides
My Next Move
Search for careers by keywords (ex: technical writer, urban planner, surgical technologist, etc) and browse by industry (ex: management, health & counseling, media & communication, etc.).
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Learn about occupational groups, such as media & communication, computer & information technology, and many others. You can also browse occupations by required level of education, growth rate, median salary, etc.
Career One Stop
Access career videos and profiles that detail tasks, work settings, and more for hundreds of careers. Initiate a side-by-side comparison of two careers you are considering.
Reach Out to Experts
Do you have career ideas and want to talk them through with individuals who have knowledge or expertise in those particular fields? Here are some resources for making connections:
Connect with other career centers
In addition to the Career Exploration Center, every school and college at UW-Madison has its own career center. Other campus career resources include the Center for Pre-Health Advising, Center for Pre-Law Advising, and Intern Abroad.
Try Things Out
Prefer to learn through experience? Trying things out is a fantastic way to explore careers and understand yourself better. There are countless ways to get involved. Here are some ideas to get started:
Morgridge Center for Public Service
Check out volunteer opportunities through the Morgridge Center, whose goal is to bridge campus and community through service and learning.
Handshake
Search for jobs and internships through this free tool that makes it easy for UW-Madison students to sign up for career events, search for jobs and internships, and use online resources to explore careers.
On-Campus Employment Opportunities
Search through part-time job openings both on campus and in the Madison community.
Join a Student Organization
With about 1,000 student organizations, there’s probably a club for you! Students orgs provide opportunities to develop leadership skills, build a network of peers with similar interests, and gain practical experience that you can include on your resume.
Participate in Undergraduate Research
UW-Madison in known for research! No matter your interest—be it in STEM fields, the arts and humanities, or the social sciences—there are numerous research opportunities available for undergraduates.
Research What Others Have Done
Wondering what careers other students with a particular major have chosen? Want to know more about the kinds of jobs alumni have in fields that interest you? Seeing what UW-Madison graduates have gone on to do after college can be a great way to expand your career knowledge and broaden your ideas about what’s possible! Get started by checking out:
Badger Bridge
Handshake
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I know which career office to schedule an appointment with?
Each school or college has its own career services office for students who are seeking help with resumes, cover letters, interviewing tips, and information about specific careers. For any of these reasons, you should schedule an appointment with your school/college career office.
You can learn more about other career services here. Click on “School of College Career Services.”
The Career Exploration Center, on the other hand, serves exploring students from any school or college who are in the earlier stages of major and career exploration. Typically, the CEC helps students with these kinds of questions:
- How do I choose a major?
- How does my major relate to careers?
- What kinds of extracurricular experiences can I get in college?
- How do I go about choosing a career?
Are there career assessments I can take to find out which careers would be a good fit for me?
The Career Exploration Center offers a variety of career assessments, all free to UW-Madison undergraduates.