There are many ways you as parents or family members of UW-Madison students can encourage and support your student as they move through their academic and career journey.
Read on to learn more about your student’s career journey, career services at UW–Madison, and how you can support your student!
Recently attended SOAR? Here you can view the Career Services presentation shared during SOAR.
Your Student’s Career Journey
For many students, their career journey will look more like a cycle rather than a straight line, and this is not something to be worried about.
Now is a great time for your student to assess, explore, prepare, and gain experience – all while taking time to reflect on each part of their exploration.
Wherever your student is right now in their journey is right where they’re meant to be.
Students begin to analyze their interests, values, and skills. They should consider their identities and personality.
What’s important to them?
Students investigate career paths or majors of interest. They evaluate their options and begin to narrow in on a career direction.
Students practice interviewing, prepare their resume, and draft a cover letter. They utilize available campus resources available for career preparation and they set goals for themselves.
Students obtain experience through internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer opportunities.
Students take the time to understand and acknowledge each phase of their career journey and what it taught them. Sometimes reflection affirms a current path and sometimes it starts them down a new one.
Career Services at UW–Madison
The goal of Career Services is to prepare students to navigate their career journey and help them find success during and beyond their time at UW–Madison.
Career advisors are available to meet with your student through one-on-one advising, drop-in advising sessions, group advising sessions, and a variety of career events.
Your student may meet with a career advisor to:
- Explore career and major options
- Discuss values, skills, and interests
- Receive help with resumes and cover letters
- Search for jobs and internships
- Connect with alumni and employers
- Prepare and practice for interviews
- Get assistance applying to graduate school
- Gain advice on negotiating offers
Learn more about how students can find a Career Services office or advisor.
How to Support Your Student
- Keep an open mind and be willing to listen.
- Let them know that now is a great time to explore academic and career options and that are not alone in this process.
- Encourage them to engagement with a career services office.
- Emphasize the benefits of outside-the-classroom experiences.
- Help them learn to be okay with some uncertainty.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How does my student find their career services office?
Each school or college at UW-Madison has a career services office to support their students and employers.
There are also several career services offices available to meet with any student looking to explore their academic and career goals.
When should my student seek out career advising?
It is never too early or too late for your student to visit a career advisor or attend career programs and events!
Career advisors are here to support your student at every step in their career journey and can help with things like:
- Career and major exploration
- Discussing values, skills, and interests
- Resume assistance
- Cover letters
- Job and internship searches
- Networking
- Connecting with alumni and employers
- Interview guidance
- Applying to graduate school
- Negotiating offers
Besides advising, how else can my student engage with their career center?
Besides career advising, career services offices offer a variety of programs and opportunities for students to explore career options, meet employers and alumni, and develop professionally. This includes:
- Career and internship fairs
- Career-related courses
- Online resources and tools
- Workshops and career events
- Workplace experience opportunities
- Employer and alumni events
How can my student explore career interests outside of the classroom?
There are a variety of ways for your student to explore their career interests and gain real world experience outside of classes and coursework! As parents and family members, you can encourage them to be open to new experiences and to utilize their career center to get connected to exciting opportunities, including:
- Conducting a job shadow or informational interview
- Working a part-time or on-campus job
- Joining a student organization
- Engaging in research with faculty
- Volunteering
- Attending career fairs and events
- Visiting your school or college’s career center and/or the Career Exploration Center
If my student is feeling overwhelmed with their career choices, what advice can I provide them?
This is a very common feeling students express when making decisions about their future. We recommend normalizing this feeling and letting them know they are not alone or behind in their career planning. Listen, ask questions, and encourage your student to visit the Career Exploration Center or their school/college’s career services office for additional support and guidance.
How important is it that my student completes an internship?
Internships and other workplace experiences (co-ops, student teaching, practica, clinicals, research, etc.) are a great opportunity for students to explore careers, apply their coursework to a professional setting, develop skills, expand their networks, and potentially get job offers.
From the employer’s perspective, internship experience (and similar workplace experiences) is often the deciding factor when employers are evaluating two otherwise qualified candidates (National Association of Colleges and Employers). We are proud to report that 100% of UW-Madison students complete an internship, volunteer role, and/or work while attending college (First Destination Survey).
Can students do internships abroad?
Absolutely! We recommend that your student work with the International Internships office if they are interested in exploring international opportunities.
Where do UW-Madison undergraduate students typically work after graduation? What if my student is interested in working outside of Wisconsin?
UW-Madison graduates are highly sought after around the world! In the past 5 years, UW-Madison graduates reported employment in:
- 59 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties
- 61 countries
- 54 states/territories
Common industries graduates seek include:
- Healthcare
- Internet & Software
- Research
- Insurance
- Higher Education
- Manufacturing
- Financial Services
- Management Consulting
- K-12 Education
- Government
Common employers who hire UW-Madison grads include:
- Epic Systems
- Kohl’s
- UW Health
- State of Wisconsin
- Deloitte
- Amazon
- Madison Metropolitan School District
- Target
- Milwaukee Tool
- AmeriCorps
About 20% of students seek graduate school and other continuing education opportunities. Common graduate schools include:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of Minnesota
- Marquette University
- Columbia University
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Northwestern University