Trinity Careers Service, Trinity Teaching and Learning

Contact Us Trinity Careers Service, Trinity Teaching and Learning
2nd Floor
7-9 South Leinster Street
Trinity College
Dublin 2
D02 K104

View the contact page for more contact and location information

careers@tcd.ie Gaeilge

How Map My Future can help your career planning

Ready to figure out your future career options but don't know where to start? Career development can be complex, so the Map My Future framework is here to help. Simply reflect on where you are currently and choose from one of the six pillars below to begin mapping your future.

Start Where You Are

Start where you are: How it works

'Start where you are' is all about reflecting on who you are and where you want to go in your career. This includes your strengths and interests, possibly related to your course or other activities. It’s also reflecting on your identity and values and identifying an approach to career planning that works for you. Explore our resources in the section below.

We have reflection questions to guide you through the below resources.

Identify and recognise how your Strengths, Skills, Personality and Experiences contribute to your career​:

Evaluate the concept of career and identify different approaches to apply to your career:​

Reflect on the impact of your beliefs, identity and values in relation to your career:

Record and reflect on your experiences, achievements and learning: 

See The Big Picture

See the big picture: How it works

'See the big picture' looks at the wider world around us and how it can impact on your career, and the kind of impact you would like to make on the world through your own career. Things like technology, culture, society, politics, the economy or the climate and biodiversity crisis might be important to you and may impact your career and in turn your future career choices.

  • Concerned about the climate and biodiversity crisis? 
    • Read Your Guide to Greenwashing, created by Trinity student, Natalie, to learn how to spot the red flags of greenwashing.
    • Have a chat with your Careers Consultant about what impact you would like to make and how this might affect your career choices on MyCareer.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace, impacting how businesses operate and how employees do their jobs. Explore our AI and the Future of Work Guide on how you could navigate GenAI and these potential implications.
  • Experiencing self-doubt about your abilities or career prospects? Imposter Syndrome (IS) is a common phenomenon that affects many people, especially in academic settings such as undergraduate, post graduate and research programmes. Read our guide on Overcoming Imposture Syndrome.
  • You have about 80,000 hours in your career: 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, for 40 years. That makes it the most important decision you’ll ever make, especially if you want to have a positive impact on the world. Read this free online resource on what makes for a fulfilling career.

Balance Career And Life

Balance career and life: How it works

'Balance career and life' is all about exploring and experimenting with the kind of career-life balance you want. You could do this through taking part in student societies, part-time or voluntary work or award programmes such as the Career Skills Award. This area also covers supporting your wellbeing and knowing your rights in the workplace and broader society.

  • Question for reflection: Through the process of experimenting with different work-based learning experiences, you can explore possible selves in relation to career. What does ‘balance’ mean to you in the context of your working life?

  • Listen to what alumni have to say at Trinity Graduate Stories

  • Participate in our Career Skills Award

  • Explore our student careers portal, MyCareer:
    • View job vacancies
    • Discuss this theme further with your Careers Consultant. Book an appointment 

  • Consider applying for a Trinity Employability bursary (open for applications annually in April

  • Read about initiatives at Healthy Trinity

  • Read about initiatives at Trinity EDI office

  • Have you experienced a setback and feel out of balance? Read our Guide to Learning From Setbacks to gain helpful perspective, and explore how other Trinity students have navigated their setbacks. 

Create Opportunities

Create opportunities: How it works

'Create opportunities' challenges you to give things a go, get out there and meet people who may be able to assist you on your career journey. Whether it’s attending one of our mentoring events or pitching an idea for a start-up to a friend, the aim is to understand the important role connections play in career development.

Build Your Career

Build Your Career: How it works

Under the Map My Future framework, the 'Build Your Career ' theme is all about learning how to make the best career decisions for you and developing your career skills so that you are more prepared for the future. It encourages students to actively develop skills, reflect on their progress, and prepare for transitions, both expected and unexpected.

Learn from graduates, how they progress their careers through connecting with them on LinkedIn and through Graduate Stories Podcast

  • Explore our student careers portal, MyCareer:
    • Register for our career fairs
    • View job vacancies
    • Discuss this theme further with your careers consultant. Book an appointment 

Explore Possibilities

Explore Possibilities: How it works

Under the Map My Future framework, the 'Explore possibilities' theme is all about seeing what is out there, what opportunities you can avail of, and if certain options could have a potential future. It's about doing all the research so that you are as prepared as you can be when it comes to applying or performing at interview. In this video, Natalie explores the resources our team have built to help your journey.

Explore Possibilities Resources