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Follow your passion

Pursue work that matters to find your purpose

male student working with equipment in the Schuster Lab

As scientists, we are driven to go wherever our curiosity takes us. Sometimes students don’t always know exactly what that looks like in terms of a career. In the College of Science, we understand. We’ve been there.

Pursuing your passion takes more than just finding it —it takes a lifetime of hard work, so be open to the process and look for clues along the way. Engaging in as many hands-on, learning opportunities as possible can be very helpful to find out what you like, love, dislike and don’t want to do ever again! Hang in there and don’t get discouraged when the going gets tough.

Your major doesn’t lock you into a career

The major you choose does not limit your career journey. It opens many doors and paths to satisfying careers in science that you may not even be aware of. Our career advisors can help you clarify your interests, skills and values, and connect them to possible majors or careers. Our career development team can also help you set goals, share helpful resources with you and help you develop a career action plan.

Often it is possible to satisfy many interests with one job. So when you think about your career and your future, think about what you want to be doing as well as where you to live.

Now is the time to move beyond your comfort zone. You won’t know what you love to do unless you experiment a bit. So, whether you take a small step like signing up for a class or you dive head-first into an internship at a medical clinic in Spain, take a deep breath, roll up your sleeves and just do it.

You just may surprise yourself.