How the heck do you gain experience related to your degree if you don’t have a job?

For a lot of us, we might be up to our eyeballs in schoolwork, or we’re taking care of family members, or maybe we’re already working just to pay for life—we might not be in the position to take part in co-op or pursue a job in our area of study.

In this episode, Katy and Emma chat with some of UVic’s career educators and community-engaged learning coordinators to talk about:

• What to do if you’re approaching graduation and need work experience
• How to get experience through your courses
• Specific suggestions for different program areas like science and fine arts

Resources from this episode

• The UVic Co-op Program
• Accessing career support

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Photo by Charles Etoroma on Unsplash

• (00:00) - Intro music
• (00:32) - Welcome and introductions
• (03:48) - How do you start a career when you don't have work experience?
• (05:15) - How can you identify the skills that you have from your academics?
• (07:27) - How doing coursework that connects with the community help you gain experience?
• (09:50) - How can you gain experience related to your studies when you're in school, for free?
• (12:36) - Our guests share their tips for gaining hands-on experience
• (15:50) - How to support yourself financially while gaining experience related to your studies
• (17:38) - How to find the perfect job for you
• (19:16) - What skills and experience are most important for students seeking jobs?
• (22:28) - How can you find out what it's like to work for a particular employer?
• (27:51) - How can fine arts students prepare for work and post-graduate studies?
• (30:47) - Why your time at school is about the now and why it's important to be yourself
• (29:58) - How can science students prepare for work and post-graduate studies?
• (36:32) - Episode credits