Majors and Careers Making the right choice! Choosing A Career  Rule#1: Choose a career that is something you really like to do. – If you can get an employer to pay you to do a job you already enjoy, you are way ahead of the game.  Rule#2: Choose carefully & thoughtfully.  Rule#3: Make it meaningful to you. Choose Career Options That Match Your Values  Knowing what you value most will help you refine your career search and choice. – Helping others – Prestige – High income – Fewer work hours  Establish and align values, career choice, and career goals for motivation. Surviving in a Fast Economy  You are, more or less, solely responsible for your career.  You must accept risks and plan for the future to advance your career.  A college degree does not guarantee employment.  A commitment to lifelong learning will help keep you employable. Factors to Consider Do:  explore a number of careers and majors  get involved  follow your passion Don’t:  focus on a major just to get a career out of it  select a major just because it is “cool” or seems to promise prestige  let someone else push you into a job Factors Affecting Career Choices  Interests  Skills  Aptitudes  People skills  Experience  Family traditions  Personality  Life goals and work values Exploring Your Interests Holland’s Hexagonal Model of Career Fields Investigative Artistic Social Realistic Conventional Enterprising Where to Go for Help  Career center  Faculty  Upper-class students  Student organizations  Placement services Become Knowledgeable About Careers  Explore the Career Center  Select several careers, not just one  Network  See a career counselor  Scope out Internet resources Explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook-Career Center  It’s a good idea to keep up with the occupational outlook for various fields.  Get to know which ones are adding jobs and which ones are losing them.  The Occupational Outlook Handbook is an excellent source, and is updated every two years.  Good news! Over the next few years, jobs requiring college degrees will be the fastest-growing and highest paying. Select Several Careers, Not Just One  It’s a good idea to have several careers in mind rather than just one in your first year of college.  Approximately 60% of students change their major at some point during their college career.  It pays to be knowledgeable about more than just one career field.  It also pays to develop a wide variety of general skills, particular those related to communication. Network  Check with people you know about career information.  Networking can lead to meeting someone who may be able to answer your questions about a specific career or company.  It is an effective way to learn about the type of train ...

1. Majors and Careers
Making the right choice!
Choosing A Career
something you really like to do.
– If you can get an employer to pay
you to do a job you already enjoy,
you are way ahead of the game.
thoughtfully.
you.
Choose Career Options That
Match Your Values
refine your career search and choice.
– Helping others

2. – Prestige
– High income
– Fewer work hours
and career goals for motivation.
Surviving in a Fast Economy
your career.
uture to
advance your career.
employment.
you employable.
Factors to Consider
Do:

3. careers and majors
follow your passion
Don’t:
to get a career out of
it
because it is “cool” or
seems to promise
prestige
push you into a job
Factors Affecting Career
Choices

4. work values
Exploring Your Interests
Holland’s Hexagonal Model of Career Fields
Investigative
Artistic
Social
Realistic
Conventional
Enterprising
Where to Go for Help

5. -class
students
organizations
Become Knowledgeable
About Careers
ers, not just one
Explore the Occupational
Outlook Handbook-Career Center

6. occupational outlook for various
fields.
ones are adding
jobs and which ones are losing them.
is an excellent source, and is
updated every two years.
jobs requiring college degrees will be
the fastest-growing and highest
paying.
Select Several Careers,
Not Just One
rather than just one in your first year of college.
major at some point during their college career.
just one career field.
skills, particular those related to communication.

7. Network
about career information.
someone who may be able to
answer your questions about a
specific career or company.
about the type of training
necessary for a particular
position, what it took to get into
the field, and the positive and
negative aspects of the work.

8. -Esteem, Self-Management,
Responsibility
Information to Use In Your
Career Goal-Setting
l requirements
See a Career Counselor

9. are trained professionals who can help
you
– discover your strengths and
weaknesses
– evaluate your values and goals
– sort through what type of career you
want
will simply help identify what factors
may lead to successful and interesting
career options.
Questions for Academic
Advisors
term and next?
term?
recommend?

10. are there if I study
mainly _____?
Getting Experience
Volunteer or service learning
-ops
-campus employment
-the-job training
Research the Job
necessary to perform the job you
want.
the job.
-to-day tasks and

11. responsibilities.
b, the
stronger the candidate you will
become.
How big
will my
office be?
Know What Employers Want
accomplishments and experiences.
e in campus organizations or
extracurricular activities?
-op,
internships, or part-time work?
“lay of the land.”
– How do the employees dress, interact with each other, look

12. for
company policy wall signs and so on.
Building a Resume
accomplishments.
your major from other work
experience.
Knock ‘Em Dead in a Job Interview
of your past
experiences is critical.
in getting you an
interview in the first

13. place. Make yours
organized and clear.
interview: research your
prospective employer.
be asked and practice
interviewing.
-
related questions.
job, ask for it at the close
of the interview.
-up
letter to mail within 24
hours.
Explore Relevant Part-Time
and Summer Jobs
campus.

14. -time job in
the department of your major.
summer job with a company related to your
field.
demonstrate work-related skills and a work
ethic that will impress prospective
employers.
Internet Career Journey
Web Resources
Career Resource Center
http://www.careers.org/
Job Hunt
http://www.job-hunt.org
The Catapult on Job Web

15. http://www.job-hunt.org/
The Riley Guide: Employment
Opportunities and Job Resources
on the Internet
www.rileyguide.com
Monster.com
http://www.monster.com/
Quintessential Careers
http://www.quintcareers.com/index.html
http://www.careers.org/
http://www.careers.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.job-hunt.org/
http://www.rileyguide.com/
http://www.rileyguide.com/

16. http://www.monster.com/
http://www.monster.com/
http://www.quintcareers.com/index.html
http://www.quintcareers.com/index.html