2 answers
Peyton
Student
Salisbury, North Carolina
1
Question
Updated
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Did you ever worry that your major would not work out, and you were wasting time in a field that might not go anywhere? That's what I'm worried about as a marine biology major.
I'm an incoming student at Hawaii Pacific University. Alongside all the pressure and nervousness of moving away from home, I worry I chose a primary major that will get me nowhere. As much as I want to follow my passion, I need to provide for myself.
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2 answers
Tsiona Gedamu
Recruiter
2
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Tsiona’s Answer
Hi Peyton! It's normal to wonder if you're choosing the right major, and many people feel this way. Try doing as many internships as possible to learn more about what you want in a career. These could be in marine biology or other fields to explore different options. You can also talk to your college advisor about which credits might transfer if you decide to switch majors. I graduated with a business degree focused on marketing and have worked in HR and recruiting. You might be surprised at how your major can fit into various industries. Focus on what excites you most and explore roles in that area. Hope this helps, and good luck!
Steve Sterner
IT Management
55
Answers
Easton, Pennsylvania
Updated
Steve’s Answer
Great Question Peyton. Between my wife and 3 kids my family has 9 degrees from many schools and watching 5 different journeys I can tell you (at least in our case) there is no exact path - 2 have 3 degrees in the same field that they started with in a major, 1 has 2 degrees although close to the same major changed focuses into adjacent majors 3 times during her college career, and myself and my son have 4 degrees and neither of work in or ended up at the major we started with.
While it is great to ask for advice and I suggest you get it from wherever you can (here, faculty, people in areas you want to work, others yo may be interested in, etc.) keep in mind there is no magic formula, perfect advice or roadmap to life and if there is it would only be valid for about 10 seconds until the workplace, education system, social, political and economic climates change.
All this change and uncertainty can be very scary but it can also be very exciting as you have opportunity to make your path yours! While you should continue to look for opportunities to explore what you can do after school, where you can gain practical experience and network to be able to make the transition do not overlook what I believe are the 3 most important things you learn in college and these are major agnostic:
1. You learn how to be self-sufficient and reliant. From elementary school through college each school change is normally a change in life and a step forward towards independence. One class, set subjects in one room up through complete control of you subjects, schedules and how you handle them. This prepares you for life after school. This also gives you the freedom to plot your path and adjust it as necessary.
2. You learn how to learn and explore. The most important thing you learn is how to learn because no matter what your major, career, profession the one thing that never changes is everything changes. That ability to learn and absorb information and the curiosity you build in school allows you to be more valuable than the employee who says I am a (insert job function here). This curiosity and propensity to learn gives you the ability to pivot and handle an ever changing world
3. You learn how to adjust. The independence and the ability to learn gives you the ability to adjust to an ever changing world. I started in IT back in the late 1980s, if you had told me that everyone would have an internet connection in their home, you could work, shop and pretty much live from your home autonomously, you were going to carry both a communication device and computer multiple times the power of what I had on my desk in your pocket I would have thought you nuts, but time after time I have watched many things completely change my industry and while you are not in technology it happens everywhere in life: demand, regulation, political climate, social outrage, international relations and many, many other influences change what the job market looks for.
In closing I would explore why you got into marine biology, what potential jobs would you be interested in, what others haven't you considered and how do you find that job, build that network, etc. but always remembering that you still will need to adjust and be open for opportunities as they arise.
Good Luck to you, it is an exciting world out there and I am sure you are in store for great things!
While it is great to ask for advice and I suggest you get it from wherever you can (here, faculty, people in areas you want to work, others yo may be interested in, etc.) keep in mind there is no magic formula, perfect advice or roadmap to life and if there is it would only be valid for about 10 seconds until the workplace, education system, social, political and economic climates change.
All this change and uncertainty can be very scary but it can also be very exciting as you have opportunity to make your path yours! While you should continue to look for opportunities to explore what you can do after school, where you can gain practical experience and network to be able to make the transition do not overlook what I believe are the 3 most important things you learn in college and these are major agnostic:
1. You learn how to be self-sufficient and reliant. From elementary school through college each school change is normally a change in life and a step forward towards independence. One class, set subjects in one room up through complete control of you subjects, schedules and how you handle them. This prepares you for life after school. This also gives you the freedom to plot your path and adjust it as necessary.
2. You learn how to learn and explore. The most important thing you learn is how to learn because no matter what your major, career, profession the one thing that never changes is everything changes. That ability to learn and absorb information and the curiosity you build in school allows you to be more valuable than the employee who says I am a (insert job function here). This curiosity and propensity to learn gives you the ability to pivot and handle an ever changing world
3. You learn how to adjust. The independence and the ability to learn gives you the ability to adjust to an ever changing world. I started in IT back in the late 1980s, if you had told me that everyone would have an internet connection in their home, you could work, shop and pretty much live from your home autonomously, you were going to carry both a communication device and computer multiple times the power of what I had on my desk in your pocket I would have thought you nuts, but time after time I have watched many things completely change my industry and while you are not in technology it happens everywhere in life: demand, regulation, political climate, social outrage, international relations and many, many other influences change what the job market looks for.
In closing I would explore why you got into marine biology, what potential jobs would you be interested in, what others haven't you considered and how do you find that job, build that network, etc. but always remembering that you still will need to adjust and be open for opportunities as they arise.
Good Luck to you, it is an exciting world out there and I am sure you are in store for great things!