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Additional Resources
Discover Careers: Exploratory Experiences
Different types of experiences can aid you in your exploration journey. You can even use these experiences to look ahead and get a glimpse at what post-graduation opportunities could look like.
- Shadow and Observe
- Chat with Alumni
- Career Treks
- Career Fairs and Connectors
- Teaching Practicum
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Study Abroad
Learn what a day in the field is like by witnessing a professional in action. Job shadowing is usually a one-day experience. Observations, particularly for health professions, are similar to job shadowing but can extend for longer durations of time.
School of Education Job Shadow Program
Find Job Shadows Through Handshake
Questions | Answers |
---|---|
What is a job shadow or observation? | An activity that allows you to experience a closer look at the day in the life of a particular career. |
How is a job shadow helpful? | Shadows or observations can help you identify what you like or dislike in a particular career and allow you to network. |
Are job shadow or observation hours required for health oriented graduate programs? | Shadowing or observing is highly recommended and in some cases required (e.g., for most physical therapy, occupational therapy, or physician assistant programs). Please check the admissions pages of your program(s) of interest to learn more. Additional information can be found on the Center for Pre-Health Advising website. |
Where have past job shadows taken place? | Wisconsin Athletics, UW Office of Human Resources: Equity, Inclusion, and Employee Well-Being, UW Recreation and Wellbeing, Waisman Center |
Student Jobs
UW–Madison offers a variety of great exploratory and immersive workplace experiences! Visit the Student Job Center to research opportunities and apply.
Work with Professionals: Immersive Experiences
Experience the practical, applied work of someone in the field to develop workplace skills and professional connections, navigate an organization’s culture, and learn new perspectives. Immersive experiences offer opportunities to manage projects, reflect, connect the experience to goals, and receive performance-based feedback. Most students participate in experiences during their junior and senior years during the semester or summer. Applications and interviews are typically required to secure an immersive experience.
Internships can be a great way to gain experience in a field that you are interested in pursuing as a career. Apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a professional work setting connected to your major or career interests. Internships can be completed in the summer or during a fall or spring semester. They can be full-time or part-time, remote or in person.
For internships, consider using these widely-available tools/resources.
School of Education Career Center: Internships
Tips while using these sites:
- Use advanced filters to focus your results, including location, pay, full-time/part-time, experience level, or whether the opportunity is remote or in person. In LinkedIn, you can also filter for opportunities where current UW alumni work.
- Consider keywords to search beyond your major or a job title. These can include certain organizations/companies, the field or industry, and specific skills you want to use.
- Many sites like Handshake and LinkedIn have posting alerts so you get an email when a new job is posted that meets your saved search criteria.
Jobs after Graduation
Ready to launch into the working world? There are thousands of search engines, industry associations, and government resources that can help you in your job search. Get started with a curated list of arts, health, and education opportunities; filtered jobs on Handshake; and quality external resources.
Arts, Education & Health Job Search Resources
Visit job and networking sites specific to your field or industry of interest:
Update your LinkedIn profile to offer hiring managers and recruiters an easy way to find and reach out to you.
- Join the ConnectED: Arts, Health & Education Group to stay in touch with faculty, staff, and alumni and review industry and job postings, curated by the Career Center.
- Visit LinkedIn’s powerful job board to search jobs by keywords and location. Set alerts based on your career interests to regularly receive email updates and stay informed on the job market.