Assessments are a powerful tool in helping you figure out your career plan. Here are some tools to consider.
- Take Focus 2, an online career assessment tool that is free to UMD students and alumni. Focus 2 provides a complete picture of your interests, values, personality, skills, and leisure activities using self-assessment questionnaries, interest inventories, and personality testing. You can print your results and bring them with you to a career advising appointment.
- Fill out a Strengths Chart to see patterns in and examples of the types of experiences you enjoy.
- Complete a NACE Competencies Chart to assess your comfort with eight key career readiness skills.
- If you are feeling overwhelmed by your options, you can schedule an appointment with the Counseling Center.
- As a doctoral student, you can explore five career assessment and planning tools, including a UMD online course, Doctoral Career Navigator, which contains thirteen modules of information, videos, worksheets, and links to resources relevant to all UMD doctoral students and postdocs.
Research is a key element in identifying your career goals. Peruse these resources to determine your path.
Internal Resources
- Compare majors and plan out your major, minor, or graduate program (see each department's website for more information).
- Consult the advising department's four year academic plans.
- See average salaries for engineering students and employment outcomes reported by recent graduates. Check PhD outcomes (At the top, sort by A. James Clark School, under the Degree College/School sort dropdown menu).
- Take career advancement courses, such as ENES181: Engineering & The Grand Challenges or major-specific courses, such as ENME 201: Careers in Mechanical Engineering or ENAE 100: Aerospace Engineering Profession.
- Come into the Engineering Career Services office to read former interns' work reports.
- Consider whether graduate school or a gap year could be right for you.
- Read alumni stories from the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering (CMSE).
- Explore industry information about engineering careers on FirstHand (formerly Vault), accessible through your Handshake account.
External Resources
- O*Net includes information on skills, abilities, knowledge, work activities, and interests associated with various occupations.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides summary data, including employment projections, for engineering occupations in its Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Tech Guide breaks down various tech degrees, careers, certifications, bootcamps, and resources.
- CareerOneStop shares toolkits for useful career information.
- DiscoverEngineering presents career information on various engineering fields.
- Career Profiles lets you find detailed information on job opportunities, training requirements, earnings, and required engineering degress for your specialty.
- Career Cornerstone Center lists resources for those exploring career paths in engineering fields.
- Careersoutthere offers informational interviews that help you find the right career fit.
- Determine whether a postdoc is right for you.
As an engineering student, you have access to a wealth of information to help you prepare early for your job hunt. Take advantage of the resources below.
- Familiarize yourself with our Career Resources & Handouts, which contain detailed information about every step of the job search process.
- Explore career building workshops and events to learn more detailed information, ask questions, and begin networking. See our events calendar and sign up for sessions on Handshake.
- Browse job listings on Handshake to find possible employment opportunities.
- Assess how you will include diversity and inclusion considerations in your job search.
- Understand company culture terms and how to evaluate companies' cultures.
- Learn about third-party recruiters:
- Understand that these are agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time, or full-time employment opportunities other than for their own needs.
- Check that postings are for a single company and that there are no fees associated with applying to the job or completing training.
- Beware of job posting frauds & scams.
- See differences between a headhunter vs recruiter.
Speaking about the opportunities available to you can provide clarity on what you want to pursue. Here are some ideas to get started.
Attending events is a great way to learn more about companies and develop your professional network. Review the following opportunities.
- Not only can you check out the workshops Engineering Career Services organizes, but you can also attend workshops hosted by employers who help students navigate specialty topics like case interviewing.
- Stop by employer information sessions, tech talks, and lobby tables to get helpful overviews and establish contacts at your target companies.
- Attend UMD Career Fairs to meet potential employers and build contacts. Before you attend a fair, be sure to read Career Fair Success Handout and attend a Career Fair Success Workshop.
- If possible, attend the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) conferences. Their career fairs have hundreds of employers attending each year. Check with the student branches of these organizations to learn more.
- Find other events, like the Whiting-Turner Business & Entrepreneurial Lectures and Mpact Lecture Series to stay updated on relevant engineering topics and hear from leaders in the field.
How do you make sure you know about the latest career opportunities? Check out these resources to stay informed.
There are many ways to develop the hands-on experience you will need to show employers the scope of work you ucan do. See some suggestions below.
Remember to diversify your experiences so that your application stands out. Opportunities unrelated to engineering will allow you to build transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, organization, and leadership.
Developing your skills will help you become a well-rounded job candidate. See our suggestions for improving your technical and soft skill sets.
- Take LinkedIn Learning or Coursera courses, available to all UMD students for free.
- Explore additional ways to increase your employability and become career ready. Selected samples below:
Once you settle on a career path, you'll need to start your internship, co-op, or job search. Make sure to look at our resources for getting started. We offer handouts and workshops on topics such as: