Welcome to the Office of Career and Professional Development
We teach UCSF students and postdoctoral scholars the information and skills they need to explore career options, make skillful career decisions, position themselves competitively, and navigate professional spaces with confidence and integrity. Our goal is to demystify career development and provide clear, actionable guidance for our learners, so they can do the work they care about and help others along the way.
News and Advice
Career updates and practical guidance: How OCPD supports our students and postdoctoral scholars
Dentistry students explore speciality training options in Feburary.
Choosing a residency is a high-stakes decision, and many students lack clear information. In February, we're partnering with ADEA to offer the Roads to Residency Series, connecting dental students with residents and faculty to demystify specialty training, applications, and career pathways.
Q. Can I get an industry job if I join a lab that doesn't have industry contacts?
This week, a first-year PhD student asks: I just finished rotating with a PI who seems like a really good mentor, and they have a bunch of cool research that I’d be interested in working on. But I know their lab doesn’t have any industry connections, and I’m not planning on a faculty career. Am I making a big mistake if I join their lab?
Advice We Like: how to say no, professionally
Want some ways to say no? Take 3 minutes and watch Vanessa Van Edwards, founder of the Science of People, give you strategies - and language! - to turn people down professionally.
We're teaching student pharmacists how to navigate social media.
Coming soon! This winter quarter, Assistant Director Anna Reeves is partnering with the UCSF School of Pharmacy to pilot a new workshop on navigating professional identity and social media. We want every student to know how to protect their professional reputation while building an intentional online presence in today’s scientific and health care workforce.
Pilot Outcomes: Can career centers across UC offer a virtual career series that students/postdocs value?
Yes, we can! Last fall, 667 participants attended an 8-part virtual series to explore and prepare them for industry careers. Not only was the series highly rated, but students and postdocs reported meaningful increases in topic knowledge post-session, with average gains ranging from +2.4 to +4.6 points!
Q. Who's using career services at UCSF?
Turning data into access: As part of our evidence-based approach to career support, OCPD adopted Handshake to better understand who we are reaching across campus. Just six months in, we are engaging 96% of degree programs and have already reached 40% of students and postdoctoral scholars, allowing for more strategic, targeted outreach.