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Taylor
Student
Beecher, Illinois
2
Questions
Asked
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As an incoming freshman, going through the process for college and deciding a major, can you tell me some tips and questions you asked yourself, as you chose your major?
As a kid, people always ask you what you want to do when you grow up and I have had many different answers for them. It has ranged from fashion, vet, business owner, translator, and therapist. How do you decide on one of them to do for the rest of your life?
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1 answer
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1828
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Taylor,
The short answer is, you don't!!
This is not a life-time commitment. In the world of work, there are "industries" and "occupations." Let's say you want to be a forklift operator. That's an occupation. Let's say you want to do this forklift work at a medical supply warehouse. That's the "healthcare" industry. People frequently change jobs every 2-5 years. You could decide to take your forklift skills to a grocery store (retail industry), or decide to stay in the healthcare industry and become an x-ray tech. People aren't locked in the way it used to be.
You could move from one to another, or find the intersection of two or more of your current interests. You could be a therapist specializing in pet therapy, for example. Or design pet attire. (I don't condone dressing dogs, but, some people spend a lot of money on their pets' wardrobes.) Or you could start in one field and transition to another. You take the skills acquired in the first position and explain on your resume how they relate to the position you are applying for - this is called transferrable job skills. You will learn how to do it.
For now, just get started on the basics, use a few elective hours to explore areas of interest. Join a few student groups. You don't really need to commit to a major until after about 45 hours of classes.
It's really not too easy to know what you want if there's so much you haven't been exposed to! It's like buying a house. I've moved 3 times, and finally got it right. So, if people ask, just say something like, "I'm keeping my options open for now."
Best of luck!
Kim
The short answer is, you don't!!
This is not a life-time commitment. In the world of work, there are "industries" and "occupations." Let's say you want to be a forklift operator. That's an occupation. Let's say you want to do this forklift work at a medical supply warehouse. That's the "healthcare" industry. People frequently change jobs every 2-5 years. You could decide to take your forklift skills to a grocery store (retail industry), or decide to stay in the healthcare industry and become an x-ray tech. People aren't locked in the way it used to be.
You could move from one to another, or find the intersection of two or more of your current interests. You could be a therapist specializing in pet therapy, for example. Or design pet attire. (I don't condone dressing dogs, but, some people spend a lot of money on their pets' wardrobes.) Or you could start in one field and transition to another. You take the skills acquired in the first position and explain on your resume how they relate to the position you are applying for - this is called transferrable job skills. You will learn how to do it.
For now, just get started on the basics, use a few elective hours to explore areas of interest. Join a few student groups. You don't really need to commit to a major until after about 45 hours of classes.
It's really not too easy to know what you want if there's so much you haven't been exposed to! It's like buying a house. I've moved 3 times, and finally got it right. So, if people ask, just say something like, "I'm keeping my options open for now."
Best of luck!
Kim