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At what moment in college do you get the feeling that the major you have chosen is truly for you?

I have known folks that graduated with a law degree and ended in medical school and those that graduated with a petroleum engineering work at banks. How and when do you know what you have chosen is for you?

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Subject: Career question for you
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Ken’s Answer

The important thing is for you to start with that process of determining which career area is best for you in high school. It all starts with getting to know yourself well enough to determine which careers match with your personality traits and then talking to people in those areas to see if the career area fits and get the advice and suggestions of those working in that area.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Rachael’s Answer

Hi Moiz,

It can certainly be difficult determining a career path in high school you will stick with for your entire career. I think it's important to consider your values and field interests first and foremost because this will guide you in your career. Your first year of college mainly consists of introductory courses which should give you a taste of what the field is like. It's not until later in your college career when you're in the more detailed courses I think you have the idea it might not be for you. My moment I realized it was for me actually came in my capstone courses - I took on my minor as a double major because of how much I liked it. Choosing a major which can set you up with a foundation is a very important part. There's nothing wrong in pivoting from that but at least it gets you started. A major can have many different career paths. I think an internship would be extremely beneficial for you to aid in determining which application of that major you want to pursue. Perhaps the day to day operation of one does not interest you, but that doesn't necessarily mean the major altogether isn't for you. I would stress completing as many internships in different positions as you can to pinpoint which career path you want to pursue.

Best of luck.
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