Career exploration shouldn't start when you're getting ready to graduate.
As a PhD student, you already know how to approach the unknown: start with a question, form a hypothesis, test an idea, reflect on the data, and adjust your approach based on what you learn.
The PhD Career Experiment applies that same mindset to your career.
Designed specifically for UC Irvine 2nd- and 3rd-year STEM PhD students, this year-long guided career experience gives you a structured way to explore careers inside and beyond academia, build professional connections, and discover what might be a good fit for you.
Rather than trying to answer “What should I do with my PhD?” all at once, you’ll conduct a series of small, intentional career experiments: explore what’s out there, test an idea, gather evidence, reflect on what you learn, and use those insights to decide what to explore next. Your career path doesn’t have to be predetermined. You can discover it through experimentation.
Program at a Glance
- Who: Second- and third-year STEM PhD students
- When: October, 2026 - May, 2027
- Format: Yearlong, flexible cohort experience
- Activities: Virtual, in-person, & experiential
- Cost: Free for UC Irvine PhD students
What if you didn't have to figure it all out at once?
You'll break that big question into smaller ones.
- What interests me?
- What careers could use my skills?
- What are those careers actually like?
- Could I see myself doing this?
Then you'll test your ideas, gather real-world information, and use what you learn to decide what to explore next.
Think of it as career exploration through experimentation.
Your Career Experiment: Imagine. Explore. Test. Reflect. Iterate.
1. Imagine
Form your first hypothesis.
Use strengths, interests, values, and design thinking concepts to imagine several possible career directions. You don't have to choose one, but you'll identify possibilities worth exploring.
2. Explore
Start collecting real-world data.
Choose three opportunities to learn directly from employers, alumni, and other professionals. Attend a career fair, employer information session, alumni panel, or site visit and gather firsthand insight into what different roles, fields, and workplaces are really like.
3. Test
Test your ideas by doing.
Reading about a career can only tell you so much. Complete a low-risk, hands-on activity- a job simulation, informational interview, short employer project or micro internship- to test your assumptions and determine what you want to explore further.
4. Reflect
What am I learning?
Use brief reflections and experiment checkpoint session to identify patterns in what you're learning about yourself, careers and what matters to you.
5. Iterate
Build your career support team.
Career exploration doesn’t end when the program does. You’ll identify mentors, alumni, peers, and professionals who could become part of your Career Advisory Board. You will also leave with a clear next experiment to pursue.
Put it all together at the Big Career Lab
In the spring, bring what you've learned to an interactive Career Lab with alumni, employers, and other professionals. Test your thinking, explore career possibilities, strengthen your professional connections, and leave with a clear next experiment.
Why Join?
Start early.
Explore careers before you're under pressure to find a job.
Make it your own.
Choose experiences based on your interests, questions, and schedule.
Connect the dots.
Don't just attend events. Reflect on what you're learning and use it to decide what to try next.
Build relationships that last.
Grow a network of alumni, employers, mentors, and others you can turn to throughout your career.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is the PhD Career Experiment for?
The program is designed for second- and third-year STEM PhD students, giving you time to explore career possibilities and build connections well before the pressure of an active job search begins.
What is the time commitment?
The Career Experiment runs from October - May and is designed with busy PhD schedules in mind. A few shared activities provide structure, while flexible options let you choose experiences that fit your interests, goals, and availability. You won't need to attend every event.
What will I do in the program?
You’ll imagine possible future careers, explore your strengths and interests, and choose career experiments such as alumni and employer events, career fairs, site visits, job simulations, and informational interviews. You’ll reflect on what you learn, choose what to try next, and start building a diverse Career Advisory Board with people you can turn to for advice, perspective, and connections as your goals evolve.
How is this different from other career programming?
Instead of just attending career events, you’ll use them as experiments based on your own interests and goals. You’ll imagine possible futures, choose experiences that help you test them, reflect on what you learn, and decide what to try next.
Do I need to know what career I want?
Not at all. The program is built for students who are still figuring things out. You don't need to choose between academia and industry or have a specific career path in mind to participate.
Will all activities be exclusive to Career Experiment participants?
No. Many activities are open to the broader graduate community, but Career Experiment participants get more than access to events: a guided roadmap, Making Sense sessions to reflect and connect the dots, and support choosing what to try next.
What will I gain from completing the program?
A certificate of completion, greater career clarity, new professional connections, a foundation of career materials, and a developing Career Advisory Board.
What does it cost?
The program is free for all eligible PhD students.
How do I join?
Complete the short interest form(opens in new tab) by September 16, 2026. We’ll follow up with next steps and more information about joining the Career Experiment. The Career Experiment is a small cohort experience, so space is limited.