Carnegie Mellon University
Student Affairs  ›  Career & Professional Development Center  ›  Students & Alumni  ›  Resource Library  ›  Career Exploration

When considering your future plans after graduation, you will engage in the process of career exploration. The process of career exploration includes:

  • Learning about yourself and your skillset
  • Identifying and exploring satisfying occupations
  • Developing a strategy to reach your goals

The Career & Professional Development Center offers numerous resources and services to assist you with the career exploration process. Explore the tabs below to get started.

You may be curious how your skills and academic experiences translate into a career. The resources below will help you to investigate various career paths and job families that align with your transferable skill set.

PathwayU  
Explore your career with this guide and assessment tool whether you are undeclared, not sure what to do with your current major, or thinking of switching majors.

O*NET  
Browse hundreds of occupational definitions to help you understand today's world of work.

My Next Move  
Search for various career paths based on your skill set, industry, or personal interests.

Occupational Outlook Handbook  
Review the U.S. Department of Labor’s publication that includes information about the nature of work, working conditions, training and education, earnings, and job outlook for hundreds of different occupations.

Dictionary of Occupational Titles
This is the complete Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) revised fourth edition, as supplied electronically by the US Dept. of Labor, provided, as a public service, by ITA, makers of DOTand O*Net for Windows.


Specialty Area Advising

The CPDC Offers You a Choice!

The Career & Professional Development Center (CPDC) offers, for undergraduate students: Specialty Area Advising allows you as the student the opportunity to meet with a Career Consultant outside your assigned major.  Specialty Area Advising is a resource designed to help you find opportunities and information for a wide variety of topics and fields, especially in industries that do not rely on college recruiting.  

Salaries & Destinations

Learn what types of jobs, internships, and graduate programs CMU students have pursued by clicking here.

An essential step in your career journey is to grow your network, a.k.a your connections, and get your story out there. Utilizing your connections allows you to learn more about the industry and jobs/internships you may be interested in. The CPDC offers various programs and resources to help you connect with people in various industries.

If you’re interested in applying to graduate school, review the CPDC’s resources below to help assist you with researching and applying to graduate school programs.


Whether you are attending graduate school directly after you graduate or are taking a year off, review these success guides for helpful tips and suggestions.

Need assistance researching which graduate school program is best for you? Use the websites below to search for programs by location, program, or keyword.

Learn what types of graduate programs CMU students have pursued by checking out our Outcomes page.

PathwayU Logo

PathwayU is CMU's go-to career exploration guide and assessment tool whether you're undeclared, not sure what to do with your current major, or wanting to switch majors. 

Become more self-aware of your interests, personality, values, and workplace preferences as it pertains to potential career paths. To create an account, use your CMU email address and click "JOIN NOW" to take the four assessments in less than 20 minutes!

Questions about your assessment results or career matches? Schedule an appointment in Handshake to met with your Career Consultant or select Specialized Appointments and then Career Exploration and Assessment.  

myCareer Path

myCareer Path is a career exploration resource that focuses on three concepts:  mySelf, myStory, and myConnections.

CMU Career Guide

Download a copy of the CMU Career Guide [pdf], or view the flip book version on any device!