In a few weeks, I will be graduating and entering the workforce. Because of this, I thought that it would be fitting to write about how I’ve developed my career goals, including what I wish I knew along the way. This is just an account of my experience, so I would encourage you to explore a variety of resources on this topic.
Understand that your career goals may change
I’m a huge planner. As a freshman, I wanted to pursue a career in research or education. Since I was an Environmental Systems major and there are so many cutting-edge research labs at UCSD, I thought that college would be a great opportunity to start doing research. During my sophomore year, I joined an incredible lab, but after hearing about other academics’ experiences, I realized that I couldn’t see myself spending my career writing grants and scientific papers. Alternatively, I enjoyed tutoring in high school and thought that I might want to work in hands-on outdoor education. Throughout college, I kept tutoring as a volunteer and student employee to improve my teaching skills. However, I had spent years in the education field as a student and I realized that I wanted to work in a different field for at least a few years, even though being an educator is not the same as being a student. At this point, I felt stressed because I did not know what career path I wanted to pursue. I wish I knew that I did not have to plan my entire career during my first year of college.
Conduct informational interviews
You might have heard that informational interviews are a great way to learn about different career paths, but you are too intimidated to reach out to strangers. Personally, I started doing informational interviews through UCSD’s Dine/Coffee with a Prof, which is a great way to talk to UCSD affiliates about their work. I have also asked people who worked at the same agencies and organizations as I did for an informational interview. Even if we did not work together directly, they were usually happy to meet with me since we had a shared connection. Another resource that I use frequently is Tritons Connect. I like this platform because people can indicate on their profiles that they are willing to help students. The first time I sent messages to UCSD graduate students and alumni, I was nervous because I didn’t want to bother anyone or appear unknowledgeable about their work. However, most of the people that I messaged were excited to give me professional advice. In particular, I talked to a data scientist who worked at a for-profit company. He previously worked in academia and explained to me the benefits and drawbacks of each sector, which was very insightful for me as I was trying to determine my interests.
Keep an open mind when taking classes
I never saw myself working full time in the social sciences. In fact, when I was in high school, one of my teachers suggested that I take AP U.S. government but I decided not to. However, for my major, I had to take a few policy and economics classes and enjoyed them more than I expected to. Originally, I planned to minor in science education. However, I talked to an amazing education professor about my doubts about pursuing education. She reassured me that many of the teachers that she works with started teaching as a second career, so I could become an educator in the future if I wanted to. I decided that if I could potentially teach in the future, I should pursue my current interests instead. I changed my minor to political science right before my senior year and am so glad that I remained flexible.
Get experience in a variety of fields
I know that you’ve probably heard this many times, but it really is true. If you can apply for jobs, internships, volunteer positions, student organizations, etc. in fields in which you’re interested, I would highly recommend doing so. The winter and spring quarters of my junior year were two of my busiest quarters because I applied to almost 20 summer internships while being a full time student, working a part time job, and doing extracurriculars. Many of these applications required essays and interviews, so, in particular, I spent a lot of time reading about organizations and writing personal statements. However, it was worth it when I was offered three positions and decided to accept a fellowship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I was excited because I was interested in the government sector, as I explained above, but nervous about trying something new. During the summer, I primarily worked with numerical datasets and interviewed people to collect qualitative data. I loved the work I did there, and afterwards I could see myself working with an agency or organization that conducted environmental monitoring. Additionally, the position helped me to network. Overall, gaining experience can help you learn about what you want or don’t want to do.
Know that the opportunities that you receive might play a role in your goals
As someone who likes to plan everything out, giving up some control over my career goals is terrifying. However, chance encounters have certainly influenced my goals. For example, I applied to intern in two labs that had different focuses, and I was interested in both of them. One of the labs required me to interview before the other. When I interviewed with the first lab, they offered me the position on the spot and I accepted it. Now, my professional interests align more with the first lab’s focus. While I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had interviewed with both labs, I am content with the experience that I’ve gained from my current position.
Your career goals will continue to develop as you gain more experience
My dad told me that the three basic factors to consider when deciding on a career are the job market, your strengths, and your interests. I believe that each of these factors provide a great framework for developing career goals and can be broken down into more specific decisions. For example, a few years ago I listened to an amazing podcast episode about passion at work. The premise of the episode is that people aren’t necessarily born with specific passions. They can develop them through education and experience. I still don’t know exactly what I am passionate about and what career path I want to pursue. However, I have goals based on the education and experience that I have obtained so far and will continue developing my goals based on the experience that I gain in the future.
Have interests outside of your career goals
I am interested in many different fields, and at one point I wanted to find a career that encompassed all of them. Eventually, I realized that I can continue to learn about my passions without pressuring myself to turn all of them into a career. As I discussed earlier, I deeply respect people that work in research or teaching, but right now, these fields simply aren’t the right fit for my career. However, I still enjoy learning about these industries.
Hopefully this article gave you insight into the ongoing process of developing career goals. I also wanted to mention that joining Her Campus has reinforced my interest in writing! One of my career goals is to have a job where I can write regularly!