The quarter will be coming to an end soon, which means students will be searching for summer jobs and internships. One question that comes up quite often while job searching, and particularly with first year students is “What can I do with this major?” Fortunately, this topic has been addressed time and time again at the Internship and Career Center (ICC), in fact, so often that we have an entire website section devoted to exploring this exact question. Below are a few tips you can share with your student to ease their minds during their search.

Explore Career Options by Degree

You would be surprised to know how many students are unaware of the opportunities available based on their major. Before your student begins their job or internship search, encourage them to explore the ICC‘s "What Can I Do with My Major or Degree" page and making use of information on individual majors through our "Majors Data" page. Information gained by researching this resource will help narrow down their internship search.

Articulating Transferable Skills

It is often fine if an applicant’s skills don’t match the job description perfectly. Employers are looking for employees with transferable skills. Transferable skills can highlight one’s potential to be an asset to a company. It is up to your student to articulate the value they have gained from their studies, internships, student clubs, informational interviews, or other experiences relevant to their major. Transferable skills can help them round out their resume and provide relevant examples to use for interviews.

Research Companies

Once your student has narrowed down their career options and have identified their transferrable skills, they will need to research companies in their desired industry to find job and internship opportunities. One way to do this is to use online job boards. UC Davis students and alumni have access to Handshake, an online platform to connect with employers. Hundreds of internships and jobs, both on and off campus, are posted every day on Handshake.

These are just a few steps your student can take to help ease their mind on “What should I do with my Major? “Encourage them to visit the Internship and Career Center for an in-depth advising appointment with one of our career advisors to explore career options, practice interviews, conduct in-depth job and internship search, and review application materials