Student Career Action:
Know Yourself
The best way to start your career development journey is to get to know yourself better and figure out what careers might match your individual interests, identity, values, and strengths.
Start by answering the questions below to reveal more about your interests, values, and skills, then explore the additional resources that will help you learn about career paths that meet your interests.
Questions to Consider:
Interests
- What have you always wanted to learn more about?
- When time seems to fly by, what are you usually doing?
- What types of work spaces do you imagine yourself being a part of?
Identity
- What are some of the various identities you hold?
- How does your identity/positionality impact how you navigate life?
- How might your identities impact the kind of work you want to do?
Values
- If you could change or improve something about the world, what would it be?
- What type of work do you find meaningful?
- What does success look like for you?
Skills
- What skills seem to come naturally to you?
- What would folks say is your best quality, trait, or characteristic?
- What skills do you want to gain?
What Can I Do with My Major?
In most cases, your major does not dictate what you can do in your career. However, if you are looking for some ideas as to how to use your major and your coursework, the What Can I Do with My Major tool shows you all the types of employment that are typically associated with a specific major.
Vault Career Insider Guides
The Vault Career Insider Guides are an excellent resource for exploring different industries, jobs and interview preparation. Each industry guide provides baseline knowledge of the industry landscape, types of work available, tips on getting hired, recruitment and interviewing strategies, typical careers, compensation and lifestyle, and key terminology.
Peers + Careers
Our annual Peers + Careers events are a series of panel events in early Spring, in which upperclassmen share their experiences about their own career exploration, including networking, internships and the job search. These events are specifically tailored to first- and second-year students and are a great, low-pressure way to connect with your peers. Watch out for email notifications about upcoming Peers + Careers events on Handshake.
Student Clubs & Activities
Another great way to explore and figure out your career interests is to join one or many of the many clubs and organizations on campus. The CMC clubs are all led by students and there is a wide array of options that are open to all students, including identity-based clubs, academic and professional clubs, service and athletic clubs, music and arts clubs, and special interest clubs and publications. To access a complete list of all current clubs and organizations, and to learn how to start a club of your own, access the ASCMC website.
