First-Generation and Low-Income Students

These resources are meant to serve as a starting point to explore the intersection of your identity and career. Combining both first-generation and low-income professionals on one resource guide is related to the similar challenges that many individuals from both groups face. We acknowledge that the two identity groups are not mutually exclusive and will intersect in unique ways for every student. In this resource guide, we will cover the following topics:

• how to offset the financial strain of unpaid and underpaid internships and research experiences
• ways to bolster your networking and professional development
• other first-generation and low-income resources

Resume Considerations

As you are applying for your first job after graduation or looking for a job or internship in your career or field, you may be wondering what work experience you should show on your resume. The jobs you held that are not directly related to your career or field of interests are still important to keep on your resume. Work experiences that may seem unrelated are a great way to show off your transferrable skills, and you should try to keep them on your resume. You can also highlight these transferable skills in your cover letter.

For example, if you were a server at a restaurant, you will want to highlight the transferrable skills such as interpersonal communication, time management, multitasking, problem-solving and more that you gained at the job. In a cover letter it might look something like this:

Professional Dress

Buying new professional clothes for a new job, a career fair or interview can be stressful. To help with that expense, you can visit the UT Outpost career closet. The UT Outpost career closet offers every Longhorn access to professional clothes for job fairs, internships, and interviews. Students can choose their own outfits from the career closet, including shoes and accessories, that are theirs to keep. UT Outpost stocks gently used masculine and feminine professional clothing, ties, jewelry, shoes, purses, accessories and scrubs. Students can select, try on and shop for any combination of items to meet their needs. Staff are available to help look for specific items and sizes.

• UT Outpost

Financial Resources for Unpaid and Underpaid Professional Opportunities

While in school, one of the challenges when pursuing internships and research opportunities is the possibility of the opportunity being unpaid or underpaid. We understand how important it is for you to gain professional experience and we hope to help you attain these opportunities. UT Austin and other organizations have some scholarships and grants available to students to apply for to fund these opportunities.

Before you decide to take that unpaid internship, you should also check that the internship meets the Department of Labor’s unpaid internship “primary beneficiary” guidelines.

Networking and Professional Growth

As a first-generation student, it is important to develop your networking skills and professional growth in order to maximize your career prospects. While this may sound like an intimidating task, remember that you can start small. For example, networking as a student might look like keeping in touch with professors in your major who may have connections with people in your future career field. It can also look like getting the email information from panelists or speakers at events you attend or finding alumni that work for a company that you’re interested in working or interning at. There are estimates that 70%-85% of jobs are filled through networking, so it is a very important skill to work on while you’re in college and exploring your career options. Below are some networking resources and tips from our office.

Career Conversations

Career conversations (also known as informational interviews) serve as an opportunity for you to ask about what a company/organization values, if they have an inclusive workplace and network by making connections and learning more about a career/field. Below are some helpful resources on how to navigate asking for an informal interview and some things you can learn from them.

For more sample questions to ask during a career conversation to gauge a company’s values, see our General Resources in this section. 

• Networking Guide
• Career Conversations Guide
• General Resources

Graduate School

Deciding to apply for graduate school can be a big decision and can come with a whole new set of anxieties, policies and rules to navigate. CNS Career Services is here to help. Check out our resources for planning for graduate school and schedule an appointment with a CNS Career Coach. Below are some additional resources for first-gen and/or low-income students and articles that may help in this process.

• Graduate School Resources

McNair Scholars

McNair Scholars seeks to increase the number of undergraduate students earning doctoral degrees who are low-income and first-generation, or who come from communities underrepresented in graduate education. Program participants must be committed to enrolling in graduate programs with the end goal of successfully completing a Ph.D. Students selected to participate in McNair Scholars work with both a faculty advisor (on graduate school literacy) and a faculty mentor (on research and scholarship). Scholars define, develop and deliver an independent research project. Scholars receive a free GRE prep course ($2,000 value). In total, Scholars are eligible for up to $5,500 for participating.

• McNair Scholars Program

Additional Resources

Questions?

Book an appointment with a CNS Career Coach