See our main undergraduate page for some initial information regarding what career opportunities exist within the major. 

Career Planning + Research Resources

Searching for a job, an internship, a whole career path, and everything in between can be stressful, and it will most often take longer than you think it will. If you’re just starting out, and especially if you don’t have a lot of experience in the working world yet, know that it will feel like a very weird time likely marked by self-doubt. If you’re a current student, you can start laying the groundwork for discovering your interests, skill areas, and career preferences now so that you’re in a good place to start searching later.

One big thing to keep in mind:

Your first job search out of college is likely to be one of many job searches you perform in the future, so don’t put extra pressure on yourself this round to land the “perfect” job. Start in a job that works well enough for you (enough $$ to live, a good learning environment, a place to make connections) and if you love it, great! If not, use it as the stepping-stone to your next job (and your next job after that, and so on).

Photography by Terry Wimmer.

Getting Started

• UCSB Career Services offers 1-on-1 advising, assessments to see what career fields might be a good fit for further exploration, resources to help strengthen your cover letter/resume/interviewing skills, grad school application help, and more!

  • They won't necessarily connect you with a job, but they can point you in the right direction in your searching and give a little more shape to your job or internship search

  • Some resources related to connecting your major to potential career paths (including the idea that your major doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think when it comes to planning for a career.)

    • We have particularly enjoyed exploring the Global Studies section of the "What Can I Do With this Major?" tool on this page (it will prompt you to sign in to your Handshake account, or to create one if you don't already have one.

• Here’s a sheet that a previous Global Studies advisor used to have available for students - lots of books and articles to get in the right mindset for discovering what to do with the major, etc.

• Take a peek at what UCSB alumni have been up to!

  • UCSB has a LinkedIn page where you can explore what alumni have done in their time since graduating from UCSB. You can search for people who completed specific majors, or just browse to see where Gaucho alumni now work (and see what their major was - it might surprise you!)

  • Play with the filters on this page to see what the median incomes and further education trends have been for students in different majors across the UC system

• Visit this document for a list of our official department program learning outcomes - these are lists of the skills that students in each major should have upon graduating. Maybe you can consider using these phrases in a future cover letter or job interview?

• Visit O*Net to explore jobs and career fields, whether you are familiar with them already or if they are new to you - you can search for specific job titles and the system will give you descriptions of that job, plus the education you need to complete to qualify for it, the skill sets it requires, etc. They also have some inventories you can take to figure out what skills you have that might be a good fit for particular job fields.

• Visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook - this page tracks trends in employment over time (which industries or jobs will grow the most in the coming years, etc)

• Before you even need to get serious about applying for jobs, spend some time studying job postings on Indeed, LinkedIn, and (for student jobs, posted at UCSB) Handshake (upper right corner of the UCSB Career Services Center page). Even if you're not actively applying, you'll get to learn a lot about job descriptions and the education or experience levels they require, and you can get a sense of what companies or fields are hiring right now.

• Scan through the Global Studies department undergraduate opportunities email list (you are added to this when you join the major) to search for recently-posted experiences (including internships, jobs, clubs, and other events) that might point you in the direction of your next career move

What Color is Your Parachute is the classic book for just helping you discover types of jobs and job environments that might be a good fit for who you are as a person - again, it won't magically bring a job or internship to you, but it will help you narrow your search down to positions that are good fits for you so that your searches will narrow down and, if you’re applying, your resume and cover letter have a better chance of landing you an interview.

Career Advice from Ask a Manager

• Choosing a career path:

  • how do I choose a career path? + how should students pick a college major?

  • ask the readers: how to figure out what career you want

  • I get bored with all my jobs and don’t know what to do with myself

  • I’m terrified of graduating and am panicking about finding a job

  • think you’re applying for your “dream job”? think again!

  • my parents won’t stop nagging me about my career choices

  • why you shouldn’t follow your passion + “do what you love” is not great advice

  • do hiring managers really care about your GPA?

• Thoughts on graduate school:

  • should you go to graduate school?

  • thinking about grad school? think again.

• Searching for and applying for jobs:

  • if you’re a new grad, here are some things for you

  • 10 pieces of outdated career advice (from 2011, so possibly even more outdated by now!) + ignore your parents! they are forbidden from giving you advice (80% joking, 20% serious :) )

  • how did you get your first job?

  • if you’re graduating soon, here’s how to kick off your job search + if you’re a recent grad, you’re probably making these mistakes in your job search

• You found a job/internship! Now what?:

  • how new grads can impress at work

Copyright © 2007 - 2020 Ask A Manager (www.askamanager.com). All rights reserved.

Interested in more information about career resources?

See highlights from the Global Studies Career Panel in May 2021.