Starting the career exploration process can often be the most difficult and confusing step. To ease in, start by reviewing our Career Planning for Success Guide for information on the many resources available to help you plan for your future.
Online Resources
Click on each tab for more information.
Focus 2 Career Assessments
Focus 2 offers prolific information on various occupations and industries. In addition, though, they offer a number of personal assessments that can help you outline your academic and career interests, academic and professional strengths and weaknesses, your skills and values, and your personal development needs.
Interested in more Personality Assessments?
Use 16 Personalities to take a free personality test that can provide a detailed description of who you are and why you do the things you do!
What Can I Do With My Major?
"What Can I Do With My Major?" is a great place to start exploring the connections between your academic and professional interests. This resource provides information on the various areas in which you can find careers relating to your major.
Career Conversations Guide
An Career Conversation (also known as an informational interview) is a chance to learn more about the responsibilities and growth opportunities in a role, gain insight into an industry, and build your network. It can help you determine if the career is a good fit for you and how to best prepare for it.
Remember: An career conversation is NOT a job interview or a way to ask for a job.
Whether the career conversation leads to a job or helps you realize that the career you had in mind isn’t a good fit for you after all, it can give you the tools to make informed decisions about your career path.
Step 1: Identify the job, company, and/or industry you are interested in by utilizing the exploration resources in this section of the website.
- What Can I Do With This Major?
Step 2: Research the job, company, and/or industry you identified and decide what you would like to learn more about by developing a list of questions.
- Company website
Step 3: Find people to have a career conversation with using the following resources (aka networking):
- Ask friends and family
- Use the LinkedIn Alumni Finder to find UT alumni (our favorite!)
- Go to your professor’s office hours
- Join student organizations related to industries you’re interested in
- Attend industry events
- Ask graduate students or teaching assistants
You can adapt the following script to cold email or message people you find:
“Hi, my name is ______. I am a (major) student at The University of Texas at Austin. I am researching potential career choices and am interested in learning more about _____. I found you through the LinkedIn UT Austin Alumni Finder and I would like to speak with you to learn more about your career. Would it be possible to schedule a chat with you in person or on the phone (or virtually) for about 20-30 minutes? I am generally free on (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and will be flexible to arrange a time at your convenience.
Sincerely, (Your Name)”
Step 4: Have a Career Conversation in person, over the phone, or via Zoom using our Career Conversations Sample Questions. If meeting in person, we recommend dressing business casual and remember to be punctual. Make sure you write down the information you learned during the conversation
Step 5: Send a thank you email within 2-3 days of your conversation and stay in touch. Check out more tips on networking!
Resources For Your Major
Check out our Resources For Your Major page to see data from real CNS alumni in each major about what job they got right after they graduated, where they went to grad school, and what internships they did while at UT. We also have career guides for each major to help you explore your career!
FirstHand Industry Guides
FirstHand is an extensive database with a wealth of information on Consulting, Tech, Business, and Law. You can search through the articles to get a better understanding of what you will need to do to achieve your career goals and what you can expect in those desired roles in these fields. You can also use FirstHand to search for jobs and internships.
*This resource was formerly called "Vault".
Interstride - For International Students Looking for US Jobs
Interstride provides a one-stop shop for international students, including visa and immigration information; companies that sponsor employment visas; guidance on intercultural networking; job listings, real-time hiring trends, and employer information; and tailored assessment tests. The tool can also be used by domestic students interested in careers abroad.
Technical Careers Resource Guide
Interested in working in tech or data science? Our Technical Careers Resource Guide is the ultimate resource for any student who is interested in tech careers and offer free resources, which will allow you to learn the skills needed to be successful in the tech industry. Includes topics like:
- Coding Practice for Technical Interviews
- Behavioral Interview Practice
- Job & Internship Search
- Conferences
- Recommended Classes
- Personal Projects and Advice
- Hackathons
- Organization & Diversity Organizations
- and more!
If you're doing the Elements of Computing Certificate, check out the jobs and internships of our Elements alumni:
How Can I Get Experience?
Many of our students feel overwhelmed when they first come to UT because they need to build up their resume with new college-level experiences. Here is a list of ideas to help you get experience, build your resume, and explore your career! Check out our Find Jobs & Internship page for more information and resources on that topic.
If you haven't already, make sure to sign up for the CNS Experiential Learning Listserv to hear about new opportunities!
Internships & On-Campus Jobs:
- The best way to find internships and on-campus jobs is through Handshake (our UT jobs platform). Make sure you try keywords other than your major when searching for jobs to find the all available options that would be a good fit for you!
Research Experience:
- Our Guide on How to Get Into Research at UT
- TIDES Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Guide
- Summer Research Programs and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs)
- National Science Foundation REU Database
Special Interest Internship Programs:
- IE Pre-Graduate School Internships - Not sure if grad school is the right path for you? Do a Pre-Grad Internships to find out what grad school is like!
- Archer Fellowship Program – Government internships in DC in Fall and Spring (applications due mid-February)
- Bridging Disciplines Certificate Program – includes 1-2 internships in certificate (applications due every October and March)
- Parker Dewey Microinternships - Micro-Internships with Parker Dewey are short-term, paid, professional projects open to all college students and recent graduates of U.S.-based institutions. From working directly with an entrepreneur to supporting a large enterprise, you’ll have the opportunity to explore different roles and company cultures as you gain valuable experience.
- UT Inventors Program - Interested in Entrepreneurship? The UT Inventors Program empowers you and a team of fellow STEM undergraduates to turn scientific discovery into societal impact.
Teaching, Mentoring, & Leadership Experience On Campus:
- Biology Undergraduate Teaching Assistant - click "UGTA" link on the left side under "Work With Us"
- Longhorn Wellness Peer Educators
- CNS Career Service Peer Career Coaches (spring application)
- FIG Mentor (fall application)
- FRI Peer Mentor
- Interpersonal Violence Peer Support Mentor
- Peers for Pride (fall and spring application)
- Pre-Health Professions Peer Coaches (spring application)
- CNS TIP Peer Mentors (TIP students only)
- Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Peer Ambassadors
- Sanger Learning Center: Tutors, Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader, Peer Academic Coaches, Public Speaking Peers, and more!
Programs for Pre-Med and Health Professions:
- Summer & Abroad Programs from HPO
- Gap Year Planning from HPO
- Shadowing & Volunteering from HPO
- UHS Clinic Volunteer
Need to Learn a Skills to Join Your Field or Industry of Interest?
- Learn a new skill through LinkedIn Learning (free for all current UT students and staff)
- Interested in learning how to code? Check out Khan Academy, Free Code Camp, Coursera, and more. (No need to pay! There are lots of ways to learn to code for free.) More information can be found in our Technical Career Resources Guide.
Academic Competitions:
- Take part in an academic competition or Hack-a-thon to put your skills to the test. Use Google to find options in your field. More information can be found in our Technical Career Resources Guide.
- Join in a Science Sprint or Inventors Sprint through the CNS TIDES Office at UT. You'll join a team of other UT students to solve a problem together over the course of a Saturday.
Join a Student Organization:
- It really doesn't matter which student org you join as long as you picked something you are interested in. Then, make sure you get as involved as you can and even get a leadership role if possible. Find UT Student Orgs through HornsLink!
Volunteer with Your Community:
- It really doesn't matter which organization, community, or non-profit you work with as long as you picked something you are interested in. Then, make sure you get as involved as you can and even get a leadership role if possible.
Get a Part-Time Job:
- Part time jobs are extremely valuable to employers when reviewing the applications of students or recent grads. A part time job shows professionalism and responsibility along with all the skills you actually learned in the job. Some students are unsure whether a part time job like working food service, as a nanny or working the front desk in an office is actually worth putting on their resume. It is definitely worth it!
Looking for more ideas? Check out the CNS TIDES Engage Guide to Experiential Learning with specific resources and programs for each CNS major.
