An easy way to explore careers and figure out what interests you is to talk to other people about their careers. Hearing from full-time professionals, as well as older students who are further along in their career journeys, can be really useful for helping you decide if you can see yourself in their shoes in the future and determine what steps you need to take now to make that career happen for you. An awesome benefit of talking to other people about their careers is that you’ll discover jobs and fields of specialty that you didn’t even know existed, and one of them could be perfect for you.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is to be proactive! A lot of people love to talk about what they do or what they hope to do in the future, so take advantage of that. You can set up lunch dates with older students or professionals you admire with the specific intention of learning from them and asking them questions about their career journey. Of course, always be focused on getting to know them and developing the relationship rather than asking for favors. In turn, you’ll make some great connections, enjoy good conversation, and hopefully be on your way to deciding on a career path of your own.
Olivia Bane
UCS Career Peer