CHOOSING A MAJOR?
What would you guess these 5 college graduates all have in common?
 Bank Officer
Music Therapist
Field Archaeologist
Stock Market Analyst
Director, Senior Citizen Center
Ans: They were all French majors at the same college
Choosing a major doesn't limit your career options!
Myth: there is a corresponding major for every career. Of the thousands of job titles listed in the US Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles, very few of them require a specific academic undergraduate background. Remember: Choosing a major is not neccessarily the same thing as choosing a career.
Before you declare a major and/or related career it's important that you discover yourself (your interests, abilities, and values) and your options (understanding the variety of academic disciplines and subject areas available to you as potential majors).
DID YOU KNOW?
3 out of 4 students are uncertain about their career choice upon college entry (Titley & Titley, 1980; Frost, 1991)
Among first-year students who enter college with a major in mind, less than 10% feel they know "a great deal about their intended major" (Lemoine, cited in Erickson & Summers, 1991)
Over two-thirds of entering students change their major during their first year (Kramer, Higley, & Olsen, 1993)
Between 50-75% of all students who enter college with a declared major change their mind at least once before they graduate (Foote, 1980; Gordon, 1984; Noel, 1985)
Only 1 senior out of 3 will major in the same field they preferred as freshman (Willingham, 1985)
75% of entering students are undecided about their academic/career plans (PC, The First Year of College, 2003)
Many students choose a major because of the career outcomes of that major, not because of any inherent desire to learn those subjects
Many employers are more concerned with the person they are hiring, rather than the name of that person's major. As a freshman or sophomore, you may not know what career(s) you might be interested in, but that shouldn't stop you from preparing!
HOW TO MAKE YOUR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE MORE MARKETABLE:
Consider joining a club or organization to enhance your leadership and teamwork skills
Gain practical training in a field that interests you
Acquire strong communication skills, both written and oral by enrolling in a public speaking class or writing for the University newspaper....
Develop your interpersonal and social skills
Acquire and develop computer skills
Select your elective courses wisely to develop specific areas of interest
Seek out international experiences through studying a foreign language, participating in a Study Abroad program, or taking classes to enhance your knowledge of international issues and cultures
Once you have identified a career field (or several) that interests you, keep track of your field's job market, new developments, employers, etc.
Handout: Tips for choosing a major (pdf)
Handout: Tips for first and second year students (pdf)
WEBSITES DESIGNED TO HELP ANSWER THE QUESTION:
What Can I Do With A Major In ______?
What Can I Do With This Major?- helps connect majors to careers
University of Delaware - links academic majors to career alternatives by providing information on career paths and sample job titles
MyMajors.com - provides information about majors - typical courses associated with each major and occupational areas often linked to each major
The Princeton Review - reviews steps in choosing a major and provides basic information on majors, related areas of study and possible career options
University of Kansas - offers insight into a variety of majors - as well as links information to occupational titles and related skill sets.
Ashland University - offers tips on how to make career decisions as well as provides information on majors, career options and employment sites
Florida State University - sample career possibilities and work settings are given based on major along with references to appropriate professional organizations
iSeek.org - explore careers through job titles - in addition to reviewing career overviews and generic job descriptions with links to suggested programs of study
University of North Carolina Wilmington - provides overview of majors and relates information to career titles, work-related skills and web sites for additional information
Career Voyages - explore career options and learn what it takes to do the job through occupation descriptions
MyPlan.com - explore majors, occupations, industries...
WorldWideLearn.com - online education guide to majors
In Demand Magazine - provides information about careers in science, techology, engineering and math.
In Demand Magazine - provides information about careers in healthcare.
In Demand Magazine - provides information about careers in advanced manufacturing..
Also, consider linking into sites that are industry-specific for detailed profile information. For example, interested in learning more about Chemists, Mathematicians, Chemical Engineers or Civil Engineers? Visit Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
|
