Explore Career Options
UT Austin helps advanced degree students and scholars prepare for a wide range of careers in academia, industry, nonprofits, government, and business. Explore careers that advanced degree alumni can pursue by taking a zero-credit hour course or by viewing our short Alumni@Work videos profiles and our dashboard of career outcomes.
Career Exploration Resources Zero-Credit Career Exploration Course Career Transition Guides Alumni@Work Where UT PhDs Work
Discover Your Career
Career exploration is like a research project. Following a structured approach can help you determine whether a career of interest is a good fit for you based on key aspects of your professional and personal identity.
Self-Assess
Assess your interests, skills, and values using career exploration and planning tools like ImaginePhD or myIDP.
Form Career Research Questions
Pick a career to explore based on your skills and interests. Meet with a graduate career advisor to identify which careers to start exploring and develop your career research plan.
Collect Data to Answer Career Research Question
Use online research and planning tools, informational interviews, and experiential learning to collect data on a specific career.
Analyze Data
Use the data you collected to evaluate whether the career aligns with your skills, interests, and values.
Summarize Findings About Career
Assess your answers to see if you should continue exploring that career. If not, examine what you learned about yourself and how that will change your career research. Meet with a graduate career advisor to reflect and set next steps.