UC’s New Career Dashboard: Real Alumni Data, Real Job Outcomes
Most universities track alumni employment outcomes, but few offer students a tool as powerful or as publicly accessible as the University of California’s new career outcomes dashboard, shared by ABC 30 News.
Powered by labor market analytics firm Lightcast, the dashboard lets users explore where UC graduates landed post-grad – the specific roles they hold, the degrees they earned, and even the skills they’ve used to succeed. Unlike most internal career tools, this one is open to everyone, not just UC students or staff.
If you’re preparing for an interview, choosing a major, or simply trying to understand how your degree translates into real-world opportunities, the benefits of having access to this data could be game-changing. Users can search by company – let’s say Apple, for example – and see exactly which roles UC alumni landed in within Apple, what they studied, and what skills helped them stand out to land their roles.
TURNING DATA INTO DIRECTION
Raul Ramirez, a UC Merced graduate in Mechanical Engineering, knows that uncertainty after graduation is real. When he discovered the dashboard, he found something he said is rare: clarity.
When he first viewed the dashboard, he says he was a bit overwhelmed. Once he familiarized himself with the interface, he narrowed his search and used the data to prepare for an interview, studying what other UC grads had done in similar roles. “As a first-gen, like me, we don’t have someone to overlook and say, ‘Hey, what do you do?’ This is basically, ‘Hey, what did everyone do?’ in other words.”
The dashboard was unveiled in July at a UC Regents meeting, where it was praised as a milestone in student support. “This is a chance for us to celebrate something really important about the University of California,” said Katherine Newman, UC’s Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Student Regent-Designate Miguel Craven, also a UC Merced alum, said this tool is a roadmap for future careers. “It’s really important to remind people this is why we go and pursue this education,” he said.
Ramirez recently landed a second interview and credits the dashboard for helping him get there. His advice to others? “Use it. Use it to your advantage. This will successfully help you in any kind of way you want.”
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