There are some degrees that lead to an obvious career path. If you’re studying education, you’re most likely going to look for a teaching job once you graduate. An accounting major will probably pursue – you guessed it – a graduate opportunity in accountancy.

But what if your path isn’t so obvious? How do you know what options you have after graduation if the road ahead isn’t quite paved yet? Let’s find out!

The good news is your degree opens doors. Completing an undergraduate degree means you’ve spent the past three or four years, maybe more, in a learning environment. You’ve studied specific content related to your course, but you’ve also developed a range of soft skills. These skills include things like communication, teamwork, leadership and problem solving, and are highly valued by employers.

Not sure of what skills you’ve developed? One way to identify your potential skill set is to check out the course handbook for your degree. The handbook will provide you with an overview of the units you’ve completed each semester and their intended learning outcomes. What skills did you take away from each unit? Did you have to complete a group project where you worked collaboratively as part of a team? Did you develop your written communication skills through a research assignment?

The course specific Career Guides available in UniHub Resources can also help you identify what skills you’ve developed.

Some organisations invite students from all disciplines to apply to their graduate programs. Yes, that’s right, it doesn’t matter what you’ve studied, just as long as you’ve successfully completed an undergraduate degree.

Here’s an example from earlier this year from resource company BHP:

At BHP, our purpose is to bring people and resources together to build a better world. We have the resources. What we produce is essential to carbon reduction and the technologies essential to secure prosperity for generations to come. But we need more good people. Not just anyone, but the best and brightest graduates from every field of academic and technical endeavour. Graduates who will challenge us, as we will challenge them.

And from EY, one of the Big Four accounting firms:

We hire students from a range of different subject backgrounds to ensure we can provide clients with fresh insight and analysis, helping organisations to manage risk, address issues and capitalise on opportunities.

These are just two examples of how you can leverage the skills you’ve developed during your undergrad in areas you may not have considered. Exploring sites such as GradConnection and gradaustralia may help you discover similar opportunities on offer.

Be sure to take some time to consider what you want for yourself and your career. Do some research on the types of companies and the specifics of job roles you’re interested in. Attending jobs and recruitment fairs, speaking with others about their careers, and completing the Explore Your Options module in Curtin Challenge may assist in paving your unique road ahead.

If you’d like to talk to one of the Curtin Careers team about planning your unique career path, book a Careers Conversation – these chats can be held in-person or over the phone.