Explore Career Paths

You can assess your career qualities to help you identify career paths and determine which majors lead to that path. Here are some resources to help you assess your work interests, values, skills, personality, strengths, and the challenges you wish to address.

Visit: Career Assessments

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

Quick Look

• Career Pathways by Major
• Career Pathways by Industry (by activity, product, or service)

Career Pathways In Government

• Federal Occupations by Major - Search this list of academic majors and the matching federal job titles.
• California State Occupations by Industry - Search this list of jobs in the State of California by industry/job family of interest. An industry/job family is a group of jobs based on the work performed, skills, and education required.

Career Pathways in Nonprofit Organizations

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

Career Pathways in Freelance

• Freelance/Contractor Career Fields - Read this article to find the top career fields for freelance jobs. Freelancers do specific work for clients without being employed by a company. They are professionals who choose to be self-employed individuals. Learn more about figuring out your freelance focus and the seven fast-growing industries for freelancers. 

Career Pathways in Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship - Review this website to learn the basics of setting up a business. Entrepreneurs are business owners rather than employees. Entrepreneurs can provide 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. To help you determine the type of education and licenses needed for your business goals, visit the State of California professional licensure guide.

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. Type California State University-Los Angeles, click it, and then GO. Then, click Post-Grad Outcomes, to view the earning outcomes.
• Job Future Caster - Choose an occupation category/job family that interests. Then, select a specific occupation/job title of interest. You can also 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.

A professional brand is how employers see you in your major and career. It reflects who you are as a professional. You demonstrate your professional identity in your classroom assignments and campus activities. These experiences are included in your college résumé, job applications, and job interviews. Use these resources to start exploring and building your professional brand, which you will use in professional introductions

Who am I as a professional?

Get started with how to Cultivate Your Professional Identity in College (presentation) to determine how your lived experiences and community cultural wealth align with your career readiness skills. 

What is my professional brand?

Create your professional brand introduction.

Use: Brand Template

Then, use our Brand Review Guide to see how you can continue to advance your brand.

How can I build my professional brand? Make a professional development action plan.

Review our Professional Development Plan Timelines (presentation) to 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.

Brainstorm how you can explore your career interests and network while in college.

Use: Plan Checklist

Plan what you will do each semester to explore your major and career.

Use: Plan Template

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.

What is a career conversation?

It is a meeting between you and a professional where you ask questions to learn more about a job of interest. To better understand what a career conversation is, you can watch videos with professionals who talk about how they got into their career and what they do in their job. Watch Career Conversation Videos by Major.

View: Career Conversation Questions

Where can I find professionals in my field of interest?

• Cal State LA Handshake - When you sign up for this free college student job-seeking software, you can view employer profiles and message them to connect. You can also attend employer events to build relationships with working professionals in a job title or company of interest.
• 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.
• LinkedIn - LinkedIn is an online social networking site for working professionals and college students. You can view the profiles of working professionals and message them to connect. Use the resources below to get started.
  • LinkedIn Profile Checklist of College Students (handout)
  • Career Center Photo Booth - Stop by the Career Center to get your professional photo taken; no appointment is needed.
  • Networking on LinkedIn (presentation)
  • Cal State LA Career Center LinkedIn Group — Join our group on LinkedIn so you can meet peers, alumni, and employers who are eager to give back.

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.