Chapter 27: Major and Career Selection
Graciela Martinez and Elizabeth Shaker
Choosing your Major and Educational Planning
In Chapters 25 and 26, we covered self-discovery through engaging in different career assessments and researching career information that may be a good fit based on personal strengths, interests, values, skills, and personality. At this time, our goal is for you to be getting closer to deciding on a career path that will be a good fit for you. Once you know what career path or industry you are interested in, you are a step closer to choosing your major. Having a general idea of what career path interests you will help you determine which major is the best fit for you.
In the United States and Canada, your academic major—simply called “your major”—is the academic discipline you commit to as an undergraduate student. It’s an area you specialize in, such as accounting, chemistry, criminology, archeology, digital arts, or dance. In United States colleges and universities, roughly 2,000 majors are offered. And within each major is a host of core courses and electives. When you successfully complete the required courses in your major, you qualify for a degree.
Why is your major important? It’s important because it’s a defining and organizing feature of your undergraduate degree. Ultimately, your major should provide you with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or behaviors you need to fulfill your college goals and objectives.
In this section, we will look at how to select your major and how your college major may correlate with a career. Does your major matter to your career? What happens if you change your major? Does changing your major mean you must change your career? Read on to find out!
Choosing a college major can have a big impact on your career choices, especially if you are following a technical or vocational program of study. After all, it is hard to become a pharmacist if you study computer networking. Students often get too anxious about choosing a major or program of study. Certainly, many two-year students have a very clear idea of what they are studying and the job they expect to land after completing their degree, and you probably feel confident enough in your choice of major to make the investment for tuition in that program. But there is no need to panic over your choice of major or program of study:
- Your choice of major or program will be important only for your first job after college; most people change careers (not just jobs, but careers) five times or more in their lifetime, so there is no possible major that will cover that level of flexibility.
- Many majors and programs share foundation courses with other majors, so you can usually change your major without having misused your time in courses that will be unrelated to your new major. Chances are, if you change your major, it will be to something similar, especially if you have completed an occupational interest survey as recommended earlier in this class.
- Most students change their major at least once, and many will change majors two or three times before they graduate.
While these thoughts might remove some of the stress of making the choice, there is no doubt that it is not always easy to make your choice. The following tips may make it a little easier…and perhaps fun!
- Follow your dreams. Your first instinct in choosing a field of study is probably based on your dreams and life experience. Make sure you base your choice on your own dreams and interests and not those of a parent, spouse, or friend.
- Make it fun. What do you like to do for fun? What kinds of magazines do you read? What websites are bookmarked on your computer? What kinds of volunteer work have you done? What do the answers to these questions tell you about the kind of career you would enjoy?
- Build on your skills. A good choice of a program of study is not based exclusively on your likes; it should also consider your skills. What courses did you “ace” in high school? Consider also courses that you found challenging in which you learned and enjoyed (it is hard to keep a level of determination to tackle a tough subject if you do not enjoy it). What do these courses tell you about what you are skilled at studying?
- Ask around. Find people who are following the courses of study you are considering. Ask them what they like and dislike about their majors. If you can find recent graduates with that major, ask them about the value of their major.
- Two is better than one. Talk to your counselor about potentially double majoring, as this can be an effective way of preparing yourself for the uncertainties and options of future employment. You may want to consider declaring a minor after you transfer to a four-year university. A minor is a sub-specialty are in a discipline outside your major
- What makes you unique? If you have a major that you would like to pursue that is not offered at your college, find out if you can plan your own major. This option is especially attractive if you want to combine two seemingly different disciplines into a major (Dance and athletics? Sociology and film? Women’s studies and economics?). This may be an option when you transfer to the four-year university.
- Be open to change. Once you have selected a major, do not panic if it turns out to be the wrong choice; consider it a step toward finding the right program for you. Repeat the major selection process, but carefully consider what you learned from your original major choice. Why was it not the right major? (Did it not match your interests? Was the workload too heavy? Were the courses too tough?) What do you know now that you did not know when you made your first selection that you should consider in making a new choice?
What do you need to launch a good career? Employers will look at your education, skills, and experience. Making sure you have the “right stuff” in these three areas is what you should focus on in your college experience.
Resources to Help You Learn More about Choosing a Major
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“Success doesn’t come to you . . . you go to it.” – —Dr. Marva Collins, civil rights activist and educator |
This quote really sets the stage for the journey you are on. Your journey may be a straight line that connects the dots between today and your future, or it may resemble a twisted road with curves, bumps, hurdles, and alternate routes.
To help you navigate your pathway to career success, take advantage of all the resources available to you. Your college, your community, and the wider body of higher-education institutions and organizations have many tools to help you with career development. Be sure to take advantage of the following resources:
College course catalog: Course catalogs are typically rich with information that can spark ideas and inspiration for your major and your career.
The college catalog consists of college policies, procedures and programs. Detailed descriptions of each major, degree requirements and course descriptions are outlined.
Instructional and counseling faculty and academic advisers at your college: Many college professors are also practitioners in their fields, and can share insights with you about related professions. Counselors and academic advisers may also share information about different majors and how they connect to careers – they’re also very good at listening and can act as a sounding board for you to try out your ideas.
Fellow students: Many of your classmates, especially those who share your major, may have had experiences that can inform and enlighten you—for instance, an internship with an employer or a job interview with someone who could be contacted for more information.
Students who have graduated: Most colleges and universities have active alumni programs with networking resources that can help you make important decisions.
Your family and social communities: Contact friends and family members who can weigh in with their thoughts and experience.
There are many online resources with free materials that can provide guidance, such as the ones in the table below.
Table 27.1 – Major Guidance
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Website |
Description |
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Lists current majors at COC with an AA/AS or AA-T/AST. A brief description of each major is highlighted along with required courses and number of units necessary for the degree. |
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List of College Majors (MyMajors) |
A list of more than 1,800 college majors—major pages include description, courses, careers, salary, related majors and colleges offering major |
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Take the College Major Profile Quiz (About.com) |
Quiz is designed to help students think about college majors, personality traits, and how they may fit within different areas of study |
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Choosing a College Major Worksheet (Quint Careers) |
A six-step process to finding a college major |
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Lists common misperceptions about choosing a major and explains how these misperceptions can cloud future plans |
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Lists majors and how they connect with careers, provides information about common career areas, typical employers and strategies designed to maximize career opportunities. Additional links are listed to connect to professional association and other resources related to the major. |
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Explore Careers (BigFuture/The College Board) |
Explore careers by selecting “Show me majors that match my interests,” “Show me new career ideas,” and “Show me how others made their choices” |
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The College Major: What It Is and How To Choose One (BigFuture/The College Board) |
When to choose a major, how to choose a major, “you can change your mind,” majors and graduate school, and majors and professions |
As you narrow down your career choice and major choice, you can now make a decision in regards to what program you may want to pursue while attending college. As you progress, make note of which program or programs are of interest to you.
Licenses and Attributions:
Original content: CC BY Attribution:
Career and Life Planning – An Open Educational Resource Publication by College of the Canyons Unit 4 Decision Making and Goal Setting. Access for free at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kTVzQ6mKcTPEVnK_YUl6UkZLd1mn7wa4
Martinez, G., & Shaker, E. (2019). Decision Making and Goal Setting. In Career and Life Planning. College of the Canyons.
Modifications: minor formatting edits, table renumbered, How to Pick a Major video removed (required sign in), CoC catalog and CoC references removed for broader audience.
Footnotes from Career and Life Planning:
Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration by Lumen Learning references College Majors by Linda Bruce
(licensed under CC BY) and Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom by Thomas C. Priester (licensed under CC BY-NC-SA)