Stuff Happens! Be Open When Choosing Your College Major

With 3000 colleges to choose from, you’ll certainly find a “match” for your lifestyle preferences, what you can afford, and the academic rigor. And there are plenty of books and counselors who can help you find a college that “fits”.

But once you’re at college, your decision about your major is your next hurdle. Even if you have chosen a major, you should verify your decision as a freshman or sophomore.

And one thing is sure: What you think is going to happen to school, won’t.

I coached a seventeen-year-old young lady this week, bound for Tufts University. Kaitlyn is very focused on majoring in biomedical engineering and took all the AP classes she could. In our “Wheel of Life” exercise, she really didn’t want to talk about her career direction; and was sure that this was already taken care of. She’s motivated and focused.

During our coaching session, I was plagued by a question: “Can Kaitlyn really know what’s going to happen when she gets to college?” So I asked her: “Kaitlyn, how open are you to new ideas about your field of study?”

Kaitlyn’s thinking could certainly change once she makes new friends with different ideas. And most colleges offer unique courses, even in the core program, with professors who can inspire and challenge your thinking.

With so many college majors -- and so many job titles -- out there (over 31,000!), you’re doing yourself a disservice if you get too focused too soon.

Freshmen and sophomore college students find themselves torn between finding a major that gets them a good-paying, reasonably secure job; and one that promises real, personal satisfaction.

Furthermore, the real connection between college majors and job titles is fuzzy, at best.

What To Do??

To make a “happy” decision about your college majors, you must know the facts, and know yourself as well. Talk to anyone you know who is in a satisfying job and ask him or her how they made decisions.

And do you own fact-finding; either by yourself, or with a career coach. You’ll have to:

1. Connect the college major with a career area, and then a job title.

2. Think about the job prospects: salary, growth, number of openings and where to find the jobs. (In my previous posts, I talked about the Occupational Outlook Handbook as the source for this information.)

3. Put your SELF first. Reflect often: What types of things do you like to do? WHY do you like to do them? What type of environment would be fun to work in, and what type of people would be cool to work with? What’s important to you?

I’ve talked about career clusters and how to find the fit between you and the World of Work. So remember:

• Your personality is likely to stay constant over the years, but your values could change.

• Most of your interests (abilities and skills) TRANSFER to job skills but you may have to think CREATIVELY about them.

What’s Your Major? coaching and workshops can guide and encourage you through the process. We also offer academic coaching to help you build social and emotional intelligence; and creative and critical and leadership skills: the skills that employers value most when hiring. We’re affiliated with LifeBound, and offer many resources for middle, high and college students, on our site.

You can do much of this research on your own. However, a coach will help you extend your thinking and stay accountable to your goals.

A workbook like Ed Colozzi’s Creating Careers with Confidence presents a thorough and methodical approach. You’ll have to make some trade-offs along the way to come up with a practical college and work plan. The challenge is that there are so many choices. But that’s the good news, too.

Several good guides can help you start the conversation about college majors:

Michael P. Voillt’s College Majors that Work
Paul Phifer’s College Majors and Careers
Laurence Shatkin’s Quick Guide to College Majors and Careers and 50 Best Majors for a Secure Future
Terry Ward’s Major Decisions: A Guide to College Majors

Contact me for personal help with your academic skills and career plans!

College Graduates, Avoid Job Shortage: Choose a High Demand Career and a High Demand Major

Here are ten tips for picking a high demand major and the right academic program:

According to the US Department of Labor, only 13% of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree by 2016. This means that there will be over 1.4 million college graduates with a job supply of only 670,000. Selecting a college is tricky, even if you have a major in mind. If job placement is a critical consideration, do your research!

1. Make the connection between high-demand jobs and high-demand college majors. Take some time to read deep into several interesting job categories published the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). Read a few of the job descriptions and you’ll get the hang of how it’s organized.

2. Make sure the job projections published in the OOH reflect a larger than average growth rate and a higher than average number of jobs projected. Of course, if your job growth isn’t higher than average, it doesn’t mean this isn’t a good field for you. Your personal passion and preparedness is really what makes you employable. But it’s good to know how intense the competition for jobs will be!

3. Check further in the OOH information about the regions of the country where you want to work. Is there growth expected there too?

4. Compare the OOH descriptions of training and education required to the academic programs offered by the top colleges you’re considering. The descriptions won’t match perfectly. But you’ll ask better questions in class the more quickly you pick up the “lingo” of the field that you’ll be working in.

5. Check out the coursework offered in the majors. The course catalog is probably online and will describe what each course will cover. Do the classes teach you what the OOH says you need to know to work in this field? Not sure? Call the instructors or ask to speak with them when you’re on a campus visit!

6. Learn about the hiring trends in the industry you’ll be working in. Locate an appropriate professional association and read the blogs and white papers from the leading experts in the field. What are their insights about where the field is going?

Finally, find out about the reputation of your top majors at your top three colleges:

7. Where did the faculty graduate from?

8. Are any colleges cited in the trade or professional association web site?

9. Where did the top industry experts go to college?

10. What awards, publications, student/professional activities and/or research is your college professors involved with? Will you have a chance to work with people in your field while you’re a student?

You might be able to shortcut this research process, if you’re willing to pick up the phone and call people who are working (preferably, hiring) in this field. Explain that you’re a student seeking career advice and you may be surprised at how much information you can find out!

Contact me at www.whatsyourmajor.net for more information.