There are multiple ways to learn how to build the necessary career-related skills and experiences employers seek during your experience at UIC. Click the sections below to learn how majors connect to careers and learn more about career exploration resources available to you to conduct research.
Your Career Development Journey
Your Career Development Journey
It can be exciting but also overwhelming to figure out careers that could be a good fit for you. It is important to engage in self-reflection to understand your interests, strengths, and skills so that you can connect to careers that fit you well.
There is a career development process that individuals go through when they are trying to figure out their career path. You may go through this process a few times in your life as you will likely have multiple careers, not just one. We also recommend meeting with a Career Advisor for personalized assistance with this process through a career advising appointment.
Career Development Process
WHO AM I?
- What are my strengths? What am I good at? What comes naturally to me? What have people told me I am good at?
- What are my skills, interests, and values?
- How does my identity (family, race, culture, religion, citizenship status, ethnic group, sexual orientation, ability status, etc.) interact with my career possibilities?
Helpful resources for this stage:
ONET Interest Profiler: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
Career One Stop Work Values Assessment: https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Careers/work-values-matcher-assessment.aspx
CareerOneStop Skills Matcher: https://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/Assessments/skills.aspx
Career assessments – These are tools to help you learn more about yourself and careers that are a good fit for you. Career Services offers two assessments: YouScience and Strong Interest Inventory. If you want to learn more about assessments, make a career advising appointment with a Career Advisor.
WHAT IS OUT THERE?
- How can I find out about different career options?
- Is there a list of careers I can explore on a credible website?
- How do majors align with careers?
Helpful resources for this stage:
Occupational Outlook Handbook: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ (You can type a career in the upper right-hand corner search box) or view careers in “Occupation Groups” on the left-hand side.
ONET Online: https://www.onetonline.org/find/all (Type in an occupation you want to learn more about).
RoadTrip Nation’s RoadMap Tool: https://roadtripnation.com/roadmap (You answer three short questions about areas that are interesting to you, and it gives you examples of professionals who have interests similar to yours).
What Can I Do With This Major: https://whatcanidowiththismajor.com/ (You can search major categories or scroll down to type in a particular major).
WHO CAN I TALK TO?
- Who are the professionals I can connect with who work in careers that interest me?
- Are there UIC alumni who work in careers that interest me
- How do I reach out and start a conversation with professionals working in careers I want to learn more about?
Helpful resources for this stage:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com You can search for professionals working in careers in which you are interested. You can review their profile for their education, skills, and job history. You can also contact them via LinkedIn and ask questions or request an informational interview to learn more.
UIC Connected: www.connected.uic.edu You can search for UIC alumni who are working in careers in which you are interested. (Click on “Network” in the top left-hand corner and then click “Search.” Enter the name of the occupation in the “Search” box).
Click on the UIC Career Services Informational Interview handout to learn more about informational interviews (how to reach out to professionals and questions to ask them).
HOW CAN I TRY IT OUT?
- What internships or part-time positions related to this career are available?
- Are there particular skills I need to work in this area? How do I figure out those skills, and how can I develop them?
- Can I shadow a professional in this career for a day (or half a day) to learn more about this career?
- Are there volunteer opportunities related to this career that I can try?
Helpful resources for this stage:
Use Handshake to search for internships and/or part-time positions related to your career interests: https://uic.joinhandshake.com/stu/postings
Review multiple job descriptions for careers in which you are interested and note which skills are desired by employers. If you see skills repeated in multiple listings, that is a sign that those specific skills are desired.
Click on the UIC Career Services Informational Interview handout to learn more about informational interviews. You can ask professionals about opportunities to shadow or volunteer to help you learn more about a specific career.