Choosing a Major

 

Choosing a major can be easy for some and hard for others. In my case, my career plans changed at least 4 times. However, all of my majors have revolved around the same field. Looking back, I had different career ideas in high school than I do now as a returning college student. As I took classes and then worked in the field, I got to know my strengths and weaknesses and was able to fine tune my decision. Now I know what I want to be "when I grow up!" :)

Here's a few things that helped me decide on my major:

• Job shadow. Some high schools, colleges, and businesses offer career exploration programs or job shadow experiences. These can range from a few hours to several weeks. This allows you to see as many occupations and different fields as you like. Contact your high school or college advisor, or visit a local college career center. You can also try contacting a business directly and ask about job shadowing with them.

          In addition, there is a "virtual" job shadow website I recently found online that has videos and career information. It looks really interesting! http://virtualjobshadow.com/

• Volunteer or work experience. By volunteering with places you are interested or working in an entry level position within the field, you will gain exposure to the careers. 

• Talk to someone in your career choice. Ask around to family and friends or call someone in the field. Most people enjoy talking about their career to those interested in it and can give you practical information about the field and its prospects. You can also talk to teachers who teach or work in the field. Ask to speak to students in the program of your choice or graduates in the field. Ask about schooling, internships/apprenticeships, working conditions, duties, salary, hiring prospects, and what the positives and negatives of the job are.   

• Visit the Employment Department. They provide useful pamphlets and booklets that give specific details about careers, their schooling, salaries, and hiring prospects. Just examining the list of careers you are certain to discover something you may be interested in. You may even find something new you had never thought of! 

• Explore your options. Don't limit yourself to a major or career choice without investigating it first. It doesn't hurt to look at other similar choices or something completely different. If anything, it will provide you with more information or confirm your decision.  

• Take a career placement test. These are computerized programs that ask you questions about your interests and then matches you with careers you may be good at. (Note: If you took one more than a few years ago, I suggest taking it again. You might discover something new!) The test is available through high schools and colleges. Contact your advisor or college career center. Some tests are also available online at: http://oregoncis.uoregon.edu/Login/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fwebcis

1. Sign in under "CIS Login".
2. The User Name is: OEDSJCC 
3. The password is: solid.flint
4. There are a couple different assessments and they sometimes give some different results. One is the IDEAS Assessment (select from the left hand column, under "Career Assessments"). Then click "Rate the activities" to start. Read each sentence and click on the button that you feel best describes how you feel about it. After answering all the questions, click "Get results." Then click on the red checks that are the highest to get a list of careers in your interest areas. 
5. You can also try the Interest Profiler too. It works in a similar way. Go back to the homepage and select "Interest Profiler" from the left hand column, under "Career Assessments". 
6. Another one is the SKILLS Assessment: The directions on this one is a little tricky: First, click "SKILLS Assessment" from the left hand column (under "Career Assessments"). Then click on "Select Skills" at the bottom. Next, click on the skills you like, one at a time, from the gray area. Then click on the tab from the blue are that describes how you feel about it: "Very Satisfying Skill," etc. It then moves the skill to the corresponding blue area. You don't have to fill up the boxes, but it helps if you choose as many as apply to you. Then click "Rate Skills" at the bottom. Finally, click through the headings at the top of the page (Holland code, Occupation clusters, Top 30, etc.) to view occupational information. 
7. Other helpful resources on the homepage include: "Occupations, Programs of Study and Training, Career Learning Areas, and Occupation Sort" on the left hand column.

Best Wishes!