UCLA Career Tracks: Charting Your Path to Success

Navigating the world of career development can feel overwhelming, but at UCLA, students have access to a wealth of resources designed to guide them every step of the way. From exploring different career pathways to honing essential skills and landing internships and jobs, UCLA's Career Center is dedicated to helping students achieve their professional aspirations. Everyone’s journey is different, and the Career Center's staff is committed to providing personalized support tailored to individual needs and goals.

Embracing the Lifelong Journey of Career Development

Early career planning and exploration will help maximize your career journey. Career development is not a one-time event but a lifelong process. It's perfectly acceptable not to have all the answers as you embark on your college education. Your immediate goal should be to make the best career choices possible at this point in your life. Dreams and aspirations evolve, and the career development process reflects this dynamic reality.

The career development process consists of six stages that often overlap and may occur in any order. You may visit each of these stages at multiple points throughout your life.

Building Career Readiness: The NACE Competencies

The National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) has identified eight career readiness competencies that are highly valued by employers. These competencies encompass the skills, experiences, and attributes that recruiters seek in potential candidates. By focusing on developing these areas, students can significantly enhance their career prospects.

Getting Started: Exploring Your Options and Utilizing Resources

Take time now to learn as much as you can about your skills, personality, lifestyle preferences, interests, and values. As you begin your college education, it is perfectly okay not to know what you want to do later in life. Get acquainted with Career Center resources. Register for Handshake and schedule a Career Advising appointment. Complete the On-Campus Recruitment Orientation found on MyUCLA under the “Finances and Jobs” tab.

Expanding Your Knowledge: Informational Interviews and Networking

Continue to explore and gather information about career fields. The best resources are people who work in the career fields that interest you. One of the most effective ways to gain insights into a particular career is through informational interviews. An informational interview is a conversation with a professional in a career field you are considering, which will help you gather information and advice to assist in your career planning process. No one else can give you a better sense of the real life experiences, the challenges and opportunities, the specifics and perhaps hidden demands, and the drawbacks and limitations of the career field.

Conduct informational interviews with people who work in career industries of interest to you. Spend a day on the job with a professional. This involves reaching out to professionals in fields that pique your interest and engaging in conversations to learn about their experiences, challenges, and rewards.

Maximizing the Impact of Informational Interviews

The informational interview works best if it is done in person in the setting that you are interested in working (i.e., a hospital, investment bank, consulting firm, or nonprofit organization, etc.). However, it can also be done over the phone or Skype. We recommend a written request followed by a phone call. This professional and respectful approach can have a more favorable response. Remember, this is their first impression of you. If you were given any recommendations (i.e., a web link, book or article, a contact) be sure to mention what you have done with that recommendation. For example, “Thank you for recommending that I contact Ms. Jones.

Before you attempt to schedule an informational interview, develop an outline or script of what you are going to say. This will decrease your anxiety and increase your chances of getting the results you want. You should develop basic questions about the career field to fit your particular knowledge and experience level. Depending on the interest and willingness of your contact to talk, you may have an opportunity to ask more specific personal, company, and industry questions. Do some research about the career in advance in order to develop thoughtful, intelligent questions and make the most of the interview. Some example questions include:

How did you get started?
What do you find most/least satisfying about your job? Rewards?
What are the entry-level jobs in this field?

Gaining Practical Experience: Internships and Summer Jobs

More than ever, employers today look at an entry-level job candidate’s track record of “real world” experiences and accomplishments before extending an offer for a permanent position. Internships and summer employment will help you acquire new skills, learn more about careers, and develop a network of contacts. An internship or summer job gives you a chance to explore and test your career interests on a short-term basis. You’ll be able to get a realistic idea of what the career industry is all about, decide whether the job is one you enjoy, and evaluate whether you “fit” into the company culture. It’s definitely a two-way street! The probability of an internship converting into a full-time role varies from company to company.

Read also: Navigating Tech Breadth at UCLA

Strategizing Your Internship Search

It’s important to give some thought to your goals for the internship or summer job. What is the primary reason you’re looking for an internship or summer job? Develop career-related skills? Gain experience to add to your resume? When does your intended industry begin hiring? When should you begin preparing? What are you interested in doing? Where? With whom? What skills can you bring to the job? Is money an issue? How much money do you need? Will you need to relocate? What impact will this have on your financial situation? Will you get class credit?

Narrowing Your Focus and Preparing for the Future

Narrow down your choices and discuss your career ideas with a career counselor. Research companies and work environments. Start preparing for graduate school if your career choice requires an advanced degree. Plan ahead and set reasonable career goals for yourself. Remember that this is just one in a long line of career decisions. Your first job will not be your last and you don’t know where it might lead you, so keep an open mind. Remember that graduate school applications, letters of reference, and test scores must be submitted early. Prepare for your first job. Talk with UCLA alumni about their first year on the job and some of the challenges you can expect. Explore all opportunities.

Leveraging Opportunities Beyond Traditional Employment

Summer and part-time work (especially if it is relevant to your career goal) can lead to great opportunities, and it should be a vital component in any job search strategy. Opportunities range from one day assignments to longer term commitments. Involvement in social, political, cultural, performing arts, religious, and public service organizations can add valuable experience and leadership responsibilities to your resume. What are your interests? What issues and causes do you strongly support?

Career Tracks: A Systemwide Framework for Growth

On Track to Launch Soon Career Tracks, the University of California’s systemwide job classification system for managers and policy-covered (non-represented) staff, is gearing up for launch at UCLA. Clear job families to help identify career paths across the University as a wholeIdentification of skills needed to progress in a particular occupational field at the University, with consistent job standards across all campusesDefined job levels for managers, supervisors, and professional positions to reflect the responsibilities and functions of the positionSalary ranges that reflect the external job market as well as alignment across UC

Implementation and Next Steps

CHR’s project team for Career Tracks, led by Linda Gaddie, has been reviewing job descriptions in order to complete a detailed analysis (“mapping”) of where positions will be classified in the new structure, using systemwide Job Standards as the basis for decision-making. Next Steps Implementation of Career Tracks payroll titles for MSP positions is targeted for completion by the end of March-April 2020. After that step, the project team will begin the review and feedback process for classification of policy-covered staff positions.

Read also: Understanding UCLA Counselors

Utilizing the UCLA Career Center: Resources and Support

Welcome to the UCLA Career Center! The Career Center offers a range of services, including 1:1 counseling appointments, drop-in sessions, workshops, and career fairs.

Accessing Appointments and Drop-in Sessions

Schedule a 30-minute appointment through Handshake. 1:1 appointments may be conducted in-person or on Zoom. APPOINTMENT TIPS: New appointments are available each Friday and are posted no more than 2 weeks in advance. Have a quick question? Stop by for a Drop-in session (in-person or virtual).15-minute Drop-in Sessions are available in-person and virtually. Please see the seasonal schedules below. In-person sessions are held at the Career Center (Strathmore Building, 2nd Floor) or the virtual drop-in room. Sessions can cover resume/cover letter development and review, help with job/internship search, or interview preparation. Screenshots, photographs, and recordings of drop-in appointments is prohibited unless specifically agreed to by both parties. Drop-In Hours: The Career Center hosts drop-in sessions throughout the calendar year. Our drop-in hours for the academic year are as shown below. Please note we occasionally need to cancel or modify our hours. Thursday, January 15th (afternoon drop-ins are cancelled due to the STEM Fair. Wednesday, January 21st (afternoon drop-ins are canceled due to the HIRE Fair.

Exploring Internship Opportunities

Looking for an internship? Internship Lab can help! Optimize your internship or job search by learning how to set up and best use Handshake, and hearing about additional tips and resources. Join the UCLA Slack channel #internship-and-job-opportunitiesCareer Center staff post weekly curated lists of internship & job opportunities for a variety of industry interests on Slack.

Staying Informed and Engaged

Watch Career Workshops On DemandWe’re bringing career services to you. Download the printed Career Center Quarterly CalendarEach quarter we print a calendar that includes all Career Center events, workshops, and fairs.

Pathway at UCLA Extension: A Program for Neurodiverse Students

Pathway at UCLA Extension is a two-year college program for students who identify as neurodiverse, offering a blend of educational, social, and vocational experiences. On campus, Pathway students attend classes and participate in the many social, recreational and cultural activities of a major university.Living away from home while attending a college program is an important way to learn skills for independent living, and we recommend that all students take advantage of our residential option. To ensure that Pathway is the right fit for you, we invite you and your family to learn more about Pathway at UCLA Extension.

Exploring the Pathway Program

Schedule a tour On-Demand Virtual TourExplanation of Tour FormatsIn-Person Tour: Join us for an in-person, outdoor presentation and tour of Westwood, led by program staff. The tour includes a visit to the Residential building where Pathway students live. Comfortable shoes and walking attire are strongly recommended; tours are subject to change due to weather conditions.Online Webinar: Live Zoom presentation covering all aspects of the Pathway Program, conducted by program staff.Online Q&A: Live Zoom question and answers session about the Pathway Program.

Curriculum and Support

At Pathway, our students receive the benefits of a UCLA college experience.Pathway uses a “learn by doing” approach, and the program features a curriculum of core courses, audit courses on UCLA’s main campus, UCLA Extension courses, and internships for our students to choose from. While participating in Pathway, students receive life skills instruction from our partner, Level Up Solutions, a California regional center vendor. An independent living skills assessment will determine the scope and frequency of personalized instruction to accommodate each students’ needs. Staff work with students to develop essential living skills to prepare them to live in the least restrictive, most inclusive and safe environment possible. Services are provided in the student apartments, on campus, and throughout the community. As a part the college experience, Pathway students are paired with a UCLA undergraduate who provides academic support and peer mentorship. This X Open course is an introduction to advocacy for people with disabilities. We will spend this session discussing the basics of disability rights and what it means to be a good advocate. Pathway has been offering the college experience to students with disabilities since 2006.

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