The document discusses choosing a college major and career path, noting that today's economy is global, unstable, innovative and requires lifelong learning; it advises students to reflect on their interests, values, and skills when selecting a major and career plan, and emphasizes gaining work experience through internships, volunteering, or on-campus jobs to help market themselves to potential employers.

1. Making the Right Choice for
Majors and Careers

2. Careers and the New Economy
• Characteristics of today’s economy
• Global
• Unstable
• Innovative
• Boundaryless
• Customized
• Fast
• You are solely responsible for your career
• To advance your career, you must accept the risks that
accompany employment and plan for the future
• A college degree does not guarantee employment
• A commitment to lifelong learning will help keep you
employable

3. Aligning Your Sense of Purpose and
Your Career
• To prepare for a career, ask yourself
• Who, how, what, where, when?
• Connecting your major and your interests with your
career
• Most majors do not lead to a specific career
• Exploring your interests
• Best way to choose an academic major
• John Holland’s model of personality and career types
• Factors that affect career choices
• Values and interests
• Skills and aptitudes
• Personality
• Life goals and work values

4. Your Turn
Would you describe your major as
something you’re really passionate about?
Why or why not? If your answer is no,
why are you pursuing this particular
major?

5. Your Turn
What kinds of jobs have you had, either
for pay or as a volunteer? Which of your
jobs was your favorite? Which did you
dislike? What do your experiences tell you
about your preferences for work in the
future?

6. Planning for Your Career
• Create a career plan
• Research possible occupations
• Build on your strengths and develop weaker skills
• Prepare a marketing strategy that sells you
• Write a convincing resume and cover letter
• Planning for two-year students
• Getting experience
• Volunteer
• Study abroad
• Internships/co-ops
• On-campus employment
• Research

7. Your Turn
What kind of “marketing strategy” could
you develop to sell yourself to a potential
employer? Which of your characteristics
or aptitudes would you emphasize?

8. Your Turn
Have you explored your institution’s
career center? If so, what did you learn? If
not, when in your college experience do
you think going to the career center will
be most important? Why?

9. Skills Employers Look For
• Content skills
• Cognitive, intellectual, or “hard” skills
• Acquired as you gain mastery in your academic field
• Includes writing proficiency, computer literacy, and foreign
language skills
• Transferable skills
• Skills that apply to or transfer to a variety of settings
• Includes solid oral and listening abilities, leadership skills, critical
thinking, and problem solving
• Key competencies
• Includes integrity, innovation, initiative, commitment

10. Working in College
• On-campus jobs
• Off-campus jobs
• Building a resume
• For part-time jobs, internships, or letters of recommendation
• Chronological format vs. skills format
• Writing a cover letter
• Find out whom to contact
• Get the most recent name and address
• Interviewing
• Mock interviews
• Understand the nature of behavioral interviews
• Dress appropriately

11. Tech Tip: Job Search Wisely
Finding a job through online job sites
• Use the “advanced search” option to narrow down
your results
• Learn about the application process
• Don’t forget to check out the extras
• Beware of scams