Career Exploration

Berkeley offers you a wealth of opportunities to explore your academic and professional interests. If you want to examine your interests and consider your career options, then visit the Career Counseling Library. If you have a narrowed your career goals to a few or less, then visit the Career Center. If you are pursuing a career goal and want mentoring as you go, then visit the Student Alumni Mentor Program.

Career Center

The Career Center specializes in career counseling, internships, and preparing for employment and graduate school. Visit the Center early to tap into the unique resources such as career assessments, resume critiques, mock interviews, or the Letter Service for graduate school applicants. You may especially benefit from the Externship Program where you shadow a Cal Alum during the winter break to learn about career options and the @Cal Career Network where you make an alumni connection and learn about the world of work.

Student Alumni Mentor Program

This program connects you to Cal alumni working in your field of interest for information and career advice.

Internships

Check out these options for adding career preparation into your study program.

Cal Corps Public Service Center

This program provides opportunities for you to continue to develop your leadership skills, whether you want to volunteer once in a while, work with a student group, apply for a fellowship, take a service-learning class, or get paid to address important social issues.

Career Center

The Career Center offers expert counseling services to guide you in finding an internship or to assist in developing one. You can find opportunities for internships in most areas and sectors.

Internship positions can be coordinated through Cooperative Education Programs, community service referral programs, and individual creativity with paid or volunteer work. You can also arrange for independent study credit with faculty or work with departments that have coordinated specific internship courses.

Externships, or short-term job shadowing experiences with a Cal alum during winter break, are also available.

SAGE Scholars Internship Program

The SAGE Scholars Internship Program is an academic program that combines workplace experience with the professional skills. SAGE Scholars targets highly motivated students from economically disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds.

Stiles Hall Community Service Programs

Working with people in need as a mentor/role model, tutor/role model, elderly companionship, and sports for kids programs. Selected units can be used toward an education minor and may well introduce you to teaching.

UC Center in Sacramento (UCCS) Scholar Intern Program

Open to all majors, this program provides the unique opportunity to become involved in state policy in Sacramento. The capstone of the UCCS program is a research seminar led by faculty from several UC campuses and culminates in a research thesis. The seminar is supplemented with an intensive internship experience.

University of California Washington Program (UCDC)

Open to all majors, this program provides a unique opportunity to spend a semester (Fall or Spring) in Washington, D.C. pursuing full-time course work and an internship in your selected field. The centerpiece of the curriculum in Washington is a multidisciplinary research seminar that leads to a substantial term paper based on your internship.