Career-Related Concerns

Employers tend to favor students who have the combination of education and work-related experience. While enrolled in UCSB, students have many opportunities to supplement their education with experience.

DO

  1. Recommend that the student consider taking a leadership role in co-curricular activities. The Office of Student Life (893-4569) can help students get involved in co-curricular activities and offers a Leadership Certificate Program that can provide a structured way for students to gain leadership experience.
  2. Encourage the student to contact the Associated Students’ Community Affairs Board or www.as.ucsb.edu/cab) for pertinent volunteer work.
  3. Refer the student to the internships listed in GauchoLink at www.career.ucsb.edu/internships/opportunities. Also refer the student to the career employment peers at Career Services. These peers help students find specialized state, national, and international internships.
  4. Recommend that students search GauchoLink for part-time or seasonal jobs that will increase their level of experience.

Students tend to change majors a number of times as undergraduates. Most majors can be declared as late as the first quarter of the junior year and still allow the student to graduate in four years, while other majors require an earlier decision because of particular requirements. Academic advisors in the Colleges and the undergraduate advisors in each department can help a student appraise the fit between the course work and his/her major, determine a realistic time frame for the major, and complete the application to the major. Career counselors at Career Services can help the student evaluate whether the selected major will allow him/her to be competitive in a chosen career or graduate program.

DO

  1. Advise students to read major requirements in the UCSB Catalog.
  2. Refer students to the appropriate departmental undergraduate advisors.
  3. Refer students to the appropriate College academic advisor.
  4. Refer students to a career counselor at Career Services or to the Career Resource Room.

Many students enter UCSB without a career direction and may benefit from career exploration, which can occur in a variety of ways such as career advising, career testing, internships, career classes and career workshops. As students approach graduation, they may experience a sense of fear about the prospect of leaving school and getting a career position or selecting a graduate school. Some start to approach this transition by gathering information and exploring options as freshmen, sophomores, and juniors while others wait until their senior year. The campus offers many resources that may facilitate the transition to graduate school or to a career position.

DO

  1. Refer the student to GauchoLink at http://career.sa.ucsb.edu/students/gaucholink. All employers seeking to hire students for part-time jobs while they are enrolled, or for full-time jobs post graduation, list their jobs here.
  2. Refer the student to UCSB’s On-Campus Interview Program where employers come to campus to recruit graduating students. Employers are listed in GauchoLink.
  3. Advise the student that Career Services has an on-line career testing program.
  4. Recommend that the student visit the Career Resource Room at Career Services or refer the student to a career counselor at Career Services.
  5. Note that students can use services at Career Services for three months post graduation, and that alumni may use some of the services for
    a fee.

Many undergraduates explore the option of graduate school in their junior and senior years.

DO

  1.  Encourage the student to consider undergraduate research options. Refer him/her to:
    http://www.research.ucsb.edu/.
  2. Refer the student to Campus Learning Assistance Services which assists students with preparation for standardized entrance exams.
  3. Suggest to the student that s/he peruse
    www.kaplan.com and www.princetonreview.com for on-line resources.
  4. Recommend to the student the CHOICES computer program available at Career Services. Using a wide range of criteria, this program helps the student identify graduate schools.
  5. Refer the student to Career Services for brochures and information on the various entrance exams and for The Guide to Applying to Graduate School.
  6. Refer the student to workshops and events related to graduate school at Career Services.