Explore All Opportunities

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.

Getting to Know What's Out There

There are many types of opportunities that can provide useful experience. Experience comes in several forms, including Internships, Student Jobs, Research, Extracurriculars, and specialized Programs to help you develop qualifications outside of class. The availability and importance of these experiences will vary for different Career Paths, but begin by exploring all options.

Here are some initial tips to help you explore opportunities:

Sign up for your academic department’s list-serve emails, which often feature valuable opportunities related to your major.
Speak with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to ask about opportunities they may be familiar with.
Do Informational Interviews or Shadow Professionals to learn from someone who does what interests you and build new connections.
Use the resources in the next chapter to begin searching for opportunities.