Begin Your Search

Plan for Experience

You decided you want to get out there, get involved, and get connected, but how do you do that? What should you be thinking about? Where do you start?

The type of experience that you seek should relate to your career goals, and therefore the skills that are most relevant to those fields or occupations. Begin by clarifying your own interests through Self-Assessment and Career Exploration to research potential occupations and career paths. Evaluate your level of relevant experience, skills, and knowledge to see what new qualifications you may need. Then, consider how you would like to develop yourself to guide your next steps.

Read on to discover how to get started with gaining experience.

How to Get Started

Ready to start finding experience? There are a number of resources you can use to begin looking for experiential opportunities, regardless of which type of opportunity you seek. Use these as needed to support your search.

Essential Resources

Fairs and Events: We offer career fairs in fall, winter, and spring quarter for students to network and interact with employers looking to hire UCSB students. We also feature employer information sessions, workshops, and industry panels throughout the academic year to educate students interested in pursuing these paths.
Handshake: UCSB's premium platform for jobs, internships, student jobs and work-study positions, on-campus interviews and more.

Campus and Local Resources

Campus Organizations - Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL): Find organizations related to your professional interests, as well as the extracurricular activities you enjoy pursuing in your spare time.
Community Affairs Board (CAB): Access information about community service work.
Education Abroad Program (EAP): Integrate study abroad into your college academic plan and explore the many internship, research, and volunteer opportunities available to EAP students abroad.
Greek Life - Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL): Join a fraternity or sorority to take part in activities and opportunities.
Leadership Development - Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL): Gain practical leadership skills and experiences through workshops, courses, and other events.
Capital Internship Program: Take on a unique experiential learning opportunity to participate in internships, academic coursework, and observe the public policy process in our state's capital in Sacramento or our nation's capital in Washington, D.C.
Undergraduate Research: Look into research programs on campus and speak with faculty who specialize in areas that match your interests to inquire about possible opportunities.

Additional Resources

Learn More

Find more resources and experiential opportunities on other Gain Experience pages (for starter information) and Career Paths, Communities, or Grad Students pages (for specialized information).