Getting Experience

Once you've narrowed your career path to one or two possibilities, it's a great idea to seek out some experience that will help you test-drive those options, and add hands-on experience to your resume or CV. Full-time internships and fellowships are a great option; but there are also many other, less time-intensive forms of experiential learning that UCSF alumni highly recommend.

Whatever your situation (grad students, postdocs, international students, busy parents), you have options for gaining professional experience during your training! In addition to the examples below, please also visit our career path pages for field-specific recommendations.

Please note that with the exception of UCSF campus internships, we are not affiliated with and do not endorse specific employers or opportunities. Please be sure to consult with your P.I./advisor/department, the International Students and Scholars Office (if relevant), and relevant UCSF policies and procedures, and schedule an appointment with us if you would like further guidance.

Internships

Looking for an internship outside UCSF? Keep in mind that about a third of UCSF students/postdocs who do internships find them via formal postings (like those on our Opportunities Board), while two-thirds find them through networking. See our guide to finding and applying for internships for more guidance.

Full-time internships are often offered by larger organizations (like Genentech) on a formal, annual cycle. Other companies may hire interns on a more irregular, unpredictable basis (this is why networking is essential). While startups often fall into the latter category, the UCSF LaunchPad Startup Career Fair is a great place to find startup internships.
Part-time internships are common in certain fields, such as science communication, nonprofits, and academic administration.
One-day or one-week internships are common in fields like consulting, where programs like Link to L.E.K., Bridge to BCG, Bain ADvantage, or McKinsey Insight serve as training and networking opportunities.
Competitive professional fellowships such as the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellowship or the Flagship Pioneering Fellowship can also serve as internship opportunities.
Some fields offer post-graduate internships, as well as non-academic postdoctoral fellowships. While these can be great transitional opportunities, we recommend that you also consider simply applying for full-time jobs.

UCSF internship programs

Part-time, on-campus internships can be a great way to fit experiential learning into a busy full-time research courseload. Keep in mind that not all on-campus positions are paid, and not all are available on a predictable basis. If you're interested in any of the below, we recommend contacting the office that offers the position to find out details and when they will next be hiring.

UCSF Catalyst Awards Internship (part-time, unpaid)
UCSF Innovation Ventures Business Development Internship (part-time, unpaid)
UCSF Office of Technology Management Licensing Internship (part-time, unpaid)
UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development Internship (part-time, paid)
UCSF Library Data Science Initiative Teaching Assistantships (part-time, paid)
UCSF Science & Health Education Partnership - Bay Area Science Festival Internship (part-time or full-time, paid)

Campus organizations

Alumni who enter competitive fields like consulting, science communication, and research in industry regularly tell us that experience, connections, or knowledge they gained via registered campus organizations are what made the difference in their applications. Here are some examples; see the full list of campus organizations for more.

Associated Students of the Graduate Divisions (leadership and government)
Black Excellence in STEM (leadership and networking opportunities)
Biotech Connection Bay Area (biotech and pharma)
Carry the One Radio (science communication - podcasting)
Consulting Club (life science and management consulting)
Investment Club or Evexia Bio Fund (investment and finance)
Postdoctoral Scholars Association (leadership and networking opportunities)
Science Policy Group (advocacy and policy)
Synapse (science communication - written)

Job simulations

Intersect is an online library of true-to-life job simulation exercises ("job sims"). They can help you test out a career field in a low-risk way, before investing time and energy in a more time-intensive form of experiential learning, such as an internship. Some examples are below; view the full catalog of science sims or humanities sims for more.

Respond to patient questions (clinical trials)
Summarize data for a lay audience (medical writing)
Data collection for advocacy (policy)
Develop educational resources (science outreach)
Conduct a non-academic literature review (consulting)

Teaching, mentorship, and outreach

Many UCSF students and postdocs seek out teaching experience in the form of lectureships at nearby colleges and universities. In addition, many UCSF alumni – especially those who transitioned into fields like science education and nonprofits – say that their involvement in outreach volunteer opportunities helped them develop valuable professional skills like mentorship, collaboration, and leadership. The below volunteer-based opportunities were recommended by UCSF students and postdocs.

Teaching at local universities and colleges: Our office maintains a resource page on how to find teaching opportunities at local institutions like University of San Francisco, San Francisco State, and Mt. Tamalpais College.
UCSF Science and Health Education Partnership: Some paid internships as well as unpaid volunteer opportunities: science outreach, education, teaching, mentoring
Brain Camp @ UCSF: Unpaid volunteering: DEI, science education, teaching, mentoring
Minds Matter San Francisco: Unpaid volunteering: teaching, mentoring, leadership
The UCSF Postdoctoral Scholars Association maintains an excellent list of current outreach opportunities.

Skill-building courses

Are you looking for ways to enhance your professional profile during your graduate or postdoctoral training? Seeking out opportunities to "up-skill" in areas like business or data science is a great way to prepare for future internships and jobs in any field. Keep in mind that your newly acquired skills will be most impressive to employers if you can show that you've applied them to a real-life challenge in some way (volunteering is another great way to do this).

LinkedIn Learning: Free for UCSF trainees; short, free courses on a wide variety of topics.
UCSF Mini-Courses: Free for UCSF students; 8-week in-person courses include topics like science policy, science communication, and more.
English-Language Classes: Free for UCSF trainees; offered weekly by the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO)
Business Concepts for Life Scientists (Free to all): Online certificate program from iBiology. Complete the certificate to receive a LinkedIn badge.
Introduction to Consulting in the Life Sciences (Free for UCSF trainees): Offered by Biotech Connection Bay Area.
Startup 101 (Free for UCSF trainees): A hands-on entrepreneurship/business class at UCSF. They also have a video lecture series accessible anytime.
Data Science Initiative (Free for UCSF trainees): Free workshops from the UCSF Library on programming languages and more.
UCSF-Stanford CERSI Immersion Course in Drug Discovery, Development, and Regulation ($250 for UCSF trainees): Features speakers from the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industries.
Global Life Sciences/Healthcare Entrepreneurship Class (tuition waivers may be available for UCSF trainees; contact for more info): This course features top practitioners as guest lecturers and dedicated mentors (plus great networking with a diverse group of peers).

Prepare for your career transition

Along with seeking out hands-on experience, there's more you can do during your PhD or postdoc to set yourself up for success once you're ready to launch your job search. Here are some practical steps you can take to prepare for the transition.

Learn what your future employers are looking for

Read at least 10 job descriptions for the job title you are interested in or actively seeking. Make a list of the common skills and experiences required and preferred by employers.
View LinkedIn profiles of professionals in those careers. What skills do they emphasize in the bullet points for their current positions? Also read their previous positions to see what experiences may be valued for career progression.
Talk to people! Ask alumni, connections, and colleagues (or professionals you meet) for informational interviews about the skills and experiences that ideal candidates possess. Read tips for Building Your Professional Network, and use UCSFConnect to find people who are willing to talk with (and maybe even mentor!) you.

Identify the skills you've honed in your PhD and/or postdoc

Did you know that your time as a PhD student or or postdoc counts as work experience? That means you've got five or more years of valuable skills and knowledge under your belt. But just as important as acquiring these skills, is the ability to explain them to hiring managers, recruiters, and others who may not share your expertise. The sooner you identify the skills you already have, the earlier you can practice talking about them!

Read about how your scientific toolkit of problem solving, critical thinking, and project management skills prepares you for success in other careers, an article by ScienceCareers.
Read about describing your abilities and strengths to employers, article by The Chronicle of Higher Education

Seek out opportunities to demonstrate leadership and collaboration

Across very different career fields, employers consistently tell us that students and postdocs who gain leadership skills and make an impact in an organization stand out. There are lots of ways to add that crucial section to your resume!

Read about how to gain leadership skills by volunteering at a professional organization, article by Addgene.
Join a local or national society to learn about interests, trends and goals of professionals in that field.
Search UCSF's database of Registered Campus Organizations to participate in a group focused on policy, business, communication, investment, entrepreneurship, and others.

Prepare to have a career conversation with your research advisor

If you're having regular meetings with your PI about your career goals, great! If you're not, you'll want to schedule a meeting dedicated to this topic. This is an important conversation, and we can help you prepare for it.

Head over to Having a Career Conversation with Your Research Mentor, part of our Manage Up series. We have a live program and a slide deck to help you understand what goes into having this conversation.
Make a 1:1 counseling appointment with us to discuss questions or concerns you have about having this conversation.

Join professional communities and conversations

Identify 10 organizations that offer jobs like the ones you're looking for. Follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, or your preferred platform of choice. Set aside 15 minutes a day to look through what they post. This is a great way to learn the new vocabulary and social norms of the community you're hoping to join (not to mention a great way to hear about any upcoming job openings).
In informational interviews, ask where you should be looking for professional conversations online. There may be a secret Slack community you can join, or an unlisted LinkedIn group to which you can be invited. Listening in on professional conversations is a great way to pick up perspectives that will come in handy for interviews and job applications later.
Your chosen career path may have a regional conference you can attend, or a monthly happy hour. This is a great way to expand your network so that you already feel like part of the community.

UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development