Career Exploration and Planning

If you are unsure about which jobs relate to your major or are available with your future degree, the resources below can help you obtain information about the career possibilities.

By Major or Job Title

• What Can I Do with This Major - Search majors and find common career areas and paths, employers that hire in the field, professional associations, and strategies to maximize opportunities.
• Education Crosswalk Search - Search your major and find related job titles, or Browse by Interest to search by the type of work environment you prefer.
• Professional Associations Search - Search for professional associations related to your major or target job title to find resource on how to get in the career.
• Career Experiences with Forage - Try out virtual job simulations designed by top companies to explore job roles.
• Employers by Major - Lists employers in California who have hired college graduates by major.
• Health Professions Career Information - Developed by Cal State LA faculty to provide resources about medical careers.

By Industry

• Careers in Los Angeles by Industry - Learn about featured industries in Los Angeles to discover employers and common careers, and watch video interviews with professionals in their careers.
• Industries in the United States - Review industries in the United States to discover job titles, the projected growth of opportunities, and the skills and education needed.
• Businesses by Industry - Search by industry, job title, or location to find contact information for more than 12 million employers.

In Government

• California State Occupations by Industry - Search this list of jobs in the State of California by industry/job family of interest.
• Federal Occupations by Major - Search this list of academic majors and the matching federal job titles.

At Nonprofits

• Nonprofit Careers - This article connects majors to job titles at nonprofit organizations.

In Freelance

• Freelance/Contractor Career Fields - Read this article to find the top career fields for freelance jobs. Freelancers do specific work for clients as self-employed individuals. Learn more about figuring out your freelance focus and the seven fast-growing industries for freelancers. 

In Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship - Review this website to learn the basics of setting up a business and providing a product or service in practically any career field imaginable. Learn more with this introductory short course on entrepreneurship.
• Depending upon the type of business you operate, there may be federal, state, or local requirements for professional licenses. Visit: State of California professional licensure guide.

• Focus2 Career Assessment - Assess your career interests, skills, personality, and values to help you identify career paths and determine which majors lead to those paths.
• Community Cultural Wealth - Review this resource to consider the skills and dispositions you bring from your families, communities of origin, cultures, and personal experiences, which are strengths in the workforce.

If you would like to know the starting salary for a job or major, use these resources.

• CSU Explore Graduate Earnings Data - The California State University system provides data on the salary earnings of students who graduated. Select "Los Angeles" to view the salary outcomes by major of graduates from Cal State LA.
• Key Indicators Post-Grad Outcomes - The WASC Senior College and University Commission provides data on post-grad outcomes. Search and select "California State University-Los Angeles"→ "GO" → "Post-Grad Outcomes", to view the earning outcomes.
• Job Future Caster - Select an occupation category/job family → specific occupation/job title → look by state and regional metro area.
• The College Payoff - Explore lifetime earnings based on workers with varying degree levels (e.g., bachelors, masters). Filter the data by your area of interest including undergraduate major, occupational field, industry, state, etc.

You demonstrate your professional brand in your classroom assignments and campus activities. These experiences are included in your college résumé, job applications, job interviews, and professional networking. Use these resources to start defining and enhancing your professional brand.

• Cultivate Your Professional Identity in College - Review how to align your lived experiences and community cultural wealth with your career readiness skills.
• Professional Brand Worksheet & Professional Brand Review Checklist - Use this worksheet and checklist to create your professional brand introduction, which you can use on your profiles, in interviews, and while networking. 

How can you build your professional brand? Start with a career action plan.

• Professional Development Plan Timelines - Learn what you can do each academic year to gain experience in your major and build a brand that will help you obtain a good job upon graduation.
• Career Action Plan Checklist - Identify how you will explore your career interests and network while in college.
• Career Action Plan Template - Plan what you will do each semester to explore your major and career.

To learn more about a job and major, it’s helpful to speak with someone who is working in the profession. Professionals are eager to give back and help students explore careers in a career conversation.

• Career Conversation Questions - A career conversation, or informational interview, is a meeting between you and a professional where you ask questions to learn more about a job of interest and how to get into the job. Use the questions linked above to guide your conversation.
• Cal State LA Alumni Mentoring Program - The Alumni Association provides a career mentoring program where you can connect with alumni who would like to give back by helping you with career exploration, development, and goal setting.
• Cal State LA Handshake - When you sign up for this free college student job-seeker networking site, you can view employer profiles, message them to connect, and attend employer events to build relationships with working professionals in a job title or company of interest.
• Professional Associations Search - Professional associations, related to your major or future career, serve as an excellent starting point for networking in your career of choice. Many have student resources, including mentoring and networking events.

Once you have explored career pathways and the level of education needed to achieve your career goals, you are ready to make a decision to continue your education. The resources below provide general guidance for pursuing graduate and professional school pathways.

• Resources for Applying to Graduate School - Cal State LA provides guides and resources in the above website link.
  • Students applying to graduate school should schedule appointments with faculty mentors or faculty advisors with any discipline-specific questions. Faculty advisors and mentors can help with revising statements for graduate school.
  • Peer tutors in the Center for Academic Success are also available for academic and general writing assistance. You and your writing tutor can brainstorm, organize, and review a personal statement or statement of purpose.
  • The Graduate Resource Center occasionally provides workshops such as choosing the right graduate program and writing a statement of purpose or personal statement.
• Humanities and Social Sciences Exploration: ImaginePhD - ImaginePhD Is a free career exploration and planning tool for the humanities and social sciences.
• Natural and Applied Sciences Exploration: MyIDP - MyIDP (or Individual Development Plan) is a free tool for science PhDs and graduate students to explore career possibilities and find the career path that fits you best.