How do I connect a career interest with a major?

A career interest is not necessarily the same as a major. In some cases there is a direct connection, but often there is not. You may have to talk to career planning counselors, faculty in disciplines you think are related and to other people who are actually in those positions to find out what major leads to likely employment in the career of your interest. Often, there are multiple majors that can lead to a major. For instance, information technology centers may hire trainers out of education, documentarians out of English, programmers out of management information systems or computer science and so on. In other cases, say power plant engineering, you have to have a degree in electrical or mechanical engineering. In addition to the information pages within MyMajors, check the information pages found at some university sites. Remember too, that a career may not exist 5 or 10 years from now, while your education will last your lifetime.

Majors often have many career outlets. As you progress through a major, you will take on the order of 10 to 15 courses in that field. As you are exposed to many aspects of the discipline you are in, you will find that some areas interest you more than others. The directions you find interest in, will move you toward careers or graduate work that you may never have considered. Some majors, many in the liberal arts, are only indirectly geared toward placement after graduation. Their graduates do get jobs in good companies, however, and often work alongside graduates from majors with very specific career orientations.

Aaron

I have been working in the education industry since 2008. Our mission is to help each student find the right major and complete their degree.

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