A liberal arts degree allows you to develop transferable skills in communication, problem solving, working with people, and researching and evaluating issues, all of which are valued by employers in all fields.
College is a time to explore. The majority of college students don’t have a clear career path in mind and many will change their major during the course of their college career.
College doesn’t necessarily prepare you for a job.Your college degree qualifies you to compete in the job market but often the content of your classes is not directly related to the world of work.Almost every career field includes individuals who majored in a range of academic subjects. There may be 3 or 4 majors that are right for you and can lead to a given career field.
You should choose a major based on what you enjoy and what interests you rather than what’s hot in the market. No one can reliably predict what the demand in various fields will be when you graduate and, more importantly, if you do not enjoy the field, you probably won’t be successful and will change your path eventually.
You will need to gather information in three areas in order to choose your major: yourself, career options, and academic requirements.
YOURSELF
Self-assessment is critical in determining the major and the field in which you will be most comfortable. Identifying your interests, values, and skills will help you narrow down your options and focus on a goal. What are some ways to do this?
- Talk with a career counselor in Career Services.
- Access the books and articles in the Career Services Library.
- Complete worksheets from Career Services on identifying values, interests, and skills and discuss them with a counselor.
- Complete an interest inventory at Career Services designed to help you clarify your interests and how they correspond to various career paths.
CAREER OPTIONS
Once you have begun to clarify your interests, values, and abilities, you will start to identify some possible careers that may be a comfortable match for you. Having an understanding of how choice of major may or may not affect your career options is an important component in your decision. Many books in the Career Services Library can give you an overview of jobs in a particular field as well as the specific details on certification, advanced study requirements, and earnings and growth projections. There are also books that discuss career possibilities for each major. In addition you may want to:
- Meet with a career counselor to work on matching your interests and values to possible career fields.
- Talk to people in various careers for a real-world perspective. The Alumni Contact Database, accessible through Career Services, lists alumni who are willing to serve as career contacts to Clark students. This listing can provide information on the types of jobs available with a particular major. It also can help you identify networking opportunities.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
It is important to be aware of the requirements for different majors. Begin by reading through the course catalog to see if the courses interest you. You also may want to check out the required texts for particular courses at the bookstore.
Questions to answer include:
- How many courses are required?
- Are certain prerequisites necessary?
- Will you be allowed to choose elective courses or do individual projects?
- Are internships allowed? For credit?
Next you will want to talk to staff in Academic Advising and faculty in the particular majors in which you are interested. In addition to the questions above, you will want to find out:
- What do students do with this major after graduation?
- Do most go to work or on to graduate school?
- What skills do students need to do well in this major?
- Are there general values or characteristics that are typical of students in this major?
- What are the specialties or research interests of faculty in this department?
Students in a particular major can also be a great source for information on the demands of the department (workload, competition), the teaching styles of faculty, and options for using the major after graduation.
AND FINALLY, REMEMBER…
The Career Services Library has a number of books on choosing a major as well as many resources for career and graduate school planning.
Some examples:
College Majors & Career by Phifer
Great Jobs for Majors in… (Liberal Arts, Communications, Sociology, History, Foreign Language, etc.) by Lambert & DeGalan
Peterson’s Guide to Graduate and Professional Programs
An internship placement can be a valuable way to explore career options and gain practical work experience. The Internship Coordinator is a member of the Career Services staff.
The Internet can provide a wealth of information. To begin your Web search, take a look at these sites:
www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/careers/majors/
Useful information on majors and career options.www.utexas.edu/student/cec/careers/index.html
Another useful site with major to career information.www.wetfeet.com
“Industry Insider” Information on a variety of fields from advertising/PR to entertainment and sports to human resources.