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Four-Year Planner

Four Year Planner
Click on one of the links below for suggested activities you can do each year you are at UCSC to help solidify your plansfor the future.

First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year

First Year
As a first year student at UCSC, your priority is to adjust to campus life. Learn how to balance academic requirements with campus activities and a social life. Don't worry about your career before you've had the chance to get comfortable being a college student.

• Explore your major options. For tips on choosing a major and to see what you can do with various majors go to “Choose a Major”
• Meet with a Departmental Adviser to get the specifics on a major. To find them go to the department advisor web site.
• Seek interesting activities or student organizations on campus and get involved. Ask your friends, resident advisor, or the Student Organization Advising Resources (SOAR) for recommendations of organizations to investigate.
• Review this website to get acquainted with the breadth of services offered by the Career Center.
• Use the Career Center Calendar to find career and job search workshops and events of interest to you.
• Learn about internships. Explore our Internships web page, and Events web page for upcoming job and internship fairs.
  • If you are considering graduate or professional school, read these web sections:
    • For med school – Health Careers Academic Preparation
    • For law school - Preparing for Law School
    • General - Grad School information & application time line

Second Year
Your second year at UCSC is a good time to learn more about career options. Make a long list of options you'd consider and start obtaining information about those career fields. Most students change their career plans repeatedly while in college, so don't be concerned about feeling like you lack focus. Most sophomores have plenty of time to decide.

• If you have not already chosen a major, make this a priority now. For tips on choosing a major, review Choosing a Major.
• Utilize career assessments to clarify your interests, skills, personality type and values, and begin thinking about career options or advanced degrees that you want to explore in greater depth.
• Begin to research occupations to become better informed about careers you are considering.
• Begin developing relationships with faculty to ensure you will be able to get solid recommendation letters for graduate or professional school.
• Create or update your resume. Attend a resume workshop or use resume guide to help you prepare an effective resume. Come in for advising to have it critiqued by a Career Advisor or Peer Advisor.
• Begin looking for volunteer opportunities (Student Volunteer Center), part-time jobs or internships.
• Use the Career Center Calendar to find career workshops events of interest to you.
• Consider pursuing leadership opportunities within clubs or student organizations (SOAR).

Third Year
When you're two years away from graduating, it's a good idea to focus on a handful of options you'd like to pursue. Review your activities and experiences during the last couple of years and see where you need to obtain additional experiences to prepare for the careers you are considering.

• See a Career Advisor to ensure you are on target to achieve your career and educational goals.
• Utilize career assessments to clarify your interests, skills, personality style and values, and begin thinking about career options or advanced degrees that you want to explore in greater depth.
• Thoroughly investigate occupations to become better informed about the career options you are considering.
• Begin to make connections with alumni mentors (Career Advice Network and Alumni Association Mentors) to get advice about career options.
• Do an internship, field study, volunteer experience or part-time job to verify your interests and make sure you are on track.
• Register for on-campus recruiting to find a summer internship.
• Attend Employer Information Sessions and Career Fairs to meet representatives from potential employers.
• Update your resume.
• Attend the Graduate School Fair to make sure you understand admissions requirements and timelines for the schools and programs you are targeting. Meet with a career advisor for grad school advice.
• Read the Graduate School, Law School and Health Careers web sections to make sure you are familiar with application timelines and admissions requirements.

Fourth Year
A lot of students approach graduation with anxiety stemming from not having made a firm decision about career or graduate school plans. It's normal to feel this way. If you're feeling stuck or lost. Meet with a Career Advisor to get some advice and support. And take advantage of the Career Center's numerous resources to help you clarify your direction

• Meet with a Career Advisor to ensure you are on target to achieve your career and educational goals.
• If you have not started yet get experience to build transferable skills applicable to your chosen career field, and make connections so you can start building your professional network.
• Make decisions about your best option after graduation, and come up with one or two backup plans just in case.
• Register to participate in on-campus recruiting for full-time employment. On-campus recruiting begins early in the Fall quarter.
• Attend Career Fairs and Employer Information Sessions to meet potential employers in person.
• Make sure you are presenting yourself to employers as someone who is ready to transition out of college.
• Attend workshops to improve your resume and learn to interview successfully.
• Make sure you are presenting yourself to employers as someone who is ready to transition out of college. Attend workshops to imporve your resume and learn how to interview successfully.
• Research employers and learn about different job search techniques to plan an effective job search strategy.
• Review the Graduate School Timeline, Applying to Law School, or the Health Careers web section to make sure you are on time with your graduate or professional school applications.