Getting started & Handshake 101

Find the career that’s best for you

Whether you’re a first year, a PhD or a professional planning a career change, start your journey by getting to know yourself better, finding your best career fit, and making a plan that puts your goals within reach. If you are an incoming first year undergraduate student, start by visiting our virtual orientation.

Explore how choosing your undergraduate major can affect your career path.

  • Your major doesn’t have to determine your career path, but it’s still helpful to learn about some common pathways for people in your area of study. Dive into our resources for choosing your major.

Get to know yourself better: Conduct a self-assessment

  • Identifying your values, skills, and interests will help you figure out where you’ll be happy – and what’s a deal breaker.

Find the best career fit: Research career options

  • You’ll find your perfect job in the sweet spot between your passions, your skills, and the world’s needs. But what does the world need? What kinds of jobs are out there? Research various career paths to determine the right fit for you.

Put your goals within reach: Make a career plan

Choosing a major: Worksheet

Want more resources and advice? Check out our curated page for considering which majors might be right for you.

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Twelve things you can do in Handshake

Okay, okay, okay–truth be told I really wanted to refer to this article as “Handshake Hacks” or “How to Hack Handshake” purely for the alliterative quality, but I refuse to misuse such a cherished term around the Institute with some …

By Erik Pavesic
Erik Pavesic Assistant Director, Career Advising & Training
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Launch into Spring: IAP 2024 events series for first years and sophomores

IAP is the perfect time to take stock of your hard-won skills and set goals for summer. CAPD helps you accelerate that process when you participate in the Launch Into Spring series, a collection of events tailored to your needs …

By Ariel Ackermann
Ariel Ackermann
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Transcripts for First Year Internship Applications

Sometimes you may encounter an internship posting that asks for you to include a copy of your transcript. As a first year undergraduate student at MIT, you might be wondering what you might need to provide to them if transcripts …

By Erik Pavesic
Erik Pavesic Assistant Director, Career Advising & Training
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Enhance your resume: A guide for first-year undergraduates

As a first-year student, you may be overwhelmed with transitioning your high school resume into one that is ready to secure all sorts of great experiences at MIT.

This guide will help provide the basics, and as you have specific …

By Erik Pavesic
Erik Pavesic Assistant Director, Career Advising & Training
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Featured Resources

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Handshake 101: What it is & how to use it

CAPD is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for everyone we serve. If you need any disability-related accommodations to …

We could be wrong, but chances are a person never found their purpose by just sitting somewhere and doing nothing. …

Wondering how to make an appointment with a CAPD staff member? Follow these steps to get connected with someone who …

This article, written by Alison Doyle of the Balance Career provides information on free career aptitude tests available online.

Career planning is an essential part of your career development. By coming up with a career plan, you can start …