How many graduating seniors already have a set-and-stone career path lined up after graduation? I certainly don’t. Even though I have a general idea of what I want to do, I’m still having a hard time narrowing down which industry I want to break into and how to go about finding one. Many students are in a similar position: business majors, cinema and media arts, science, math, and others. While there’s still time to figure things out, don’t wait until you graduate! Take advantage of the resources available to students now. And of course, this doesn’t only apply to seniors — you should always be thinking about your career goals and taking steps to move toward them.

Find an Industry

It can be hard narrowing down which industry you want to pursue, even if you are fixed on a major and concentration. Choosing an industry isn’t permanent — in fact it takes professionals years of experience in different roles to figure out their niche. However, it doesn’t hurt to explore a passion and find an area that aligns with it!

If you didn’t know already, Biola’s Career Center has an awesome, free tool called CareerExplorer. This online assessment gathers information about your experience, interests, skills and major and strategically matches you with over 800 different careers in their database.

After completing your assessment you get access to:

  • Your unique professional characteristics

  • Careers that align with your interests or skills

  • A list of key descriptors of that field including salary, demographics, work environment, resources, and how to go about pursuing that specific career

  • Degrees that will help you achieve those careers

  • Personalized reports about your professional personality and characteristics


One thing to keep in mind: don’t let your major restrict you! You can dive into any industry that you’re interested in with any major — you’d be surprised at the variety of roles companies offer. For example, if you are an intercultural studies major, you can most certainly break into the tech industry with roles such as localization or globalization.

Expand Your Resources

We can only get so far with our own strengths and resources. Did you know there’s a whole network of professionals that want to help Biola students reach their career goals? We already know that networking is key to career advancement, but how much more helpful would it be to foster a personal relationship with a mentor?

Mentors are important and useful because they have experienced what you are going through and can provide expertise and share knowledge related to life and professional growth. Finding a Biola alumnus working in your dream field as a mentor will be extremely helpful in gauging how to pursue that career.

BiolaHub is the perfect tool for finding a mentor — it connects you with alumni who are willing and able to mentor you. Sign up today to connect with a whole network of professionals! Check out the BiolaHub Mentee Guide for a more in-depth explanation of the mentor-mentee relationship, as well as tips and tricks on how to foster that relationship.

Are You Ready For Your Career?

Seniors, graduation is just around the corner. That might seem scary, but there’s still time to figure things out. The Career Center has so many resources available to help us prepare for the next step. If you need help in any step of the job search, don’t hesitate to set up an appointment with the Career Center, and you will undoubtedly find the personalized help you need. I’m not worried about my future, and neither should you!

Be sure to check out the Job Search resource in Canvas for everything you need to become job-ready.