Clovis 411Deciding on a Major

August 2014

A “major” is : -A specific subject area that college students specialize in

-A focus of study-A set of classes to complete

• Choosing a major is a very important decision! • Major vs. Career

First of all….WHAT IS A MAJOR?

What are the factors that are important to you?List 3 to share:

1.2.3.

(Example: “My major should be something I enjoy learning about”)

Important Things To Consider When Deciding on

A Major

Does this look familiar to you?

3 out of 4 college students are unsure about their major

3 out of 4 college students change their major at least 2 times before they graduate

Factors:-Limited knowledge about major/career

options -Fear/Anxiety-Conflict with others -Too many interests

Facts About Choosing A Major

Major and Career Activity

Think about possible majors and careers!

Complete the worksheet, take your best guess!

Major: Biology/Natural Sciences

Average Salary per Year: $56,000-$93,000

Skills or personality traits: Observation skills, Problem Solving, Writing and Speaking Skills

Career: Marine Biologist

Major: Psychology, Sociology, Social Work

Average Salary per Year: $35,000-$70,000

Skills or personality traits: Listening skills, compassion, problem solving

Career: Social Worker

Major: Food and Nutrition, Dietetics

Average Salary per Year: 34,000-71,000

Skills or personality traits: Organizational skills, people skills, speaking skills, ability to translate information to patients

Career: Dietician

Major: Math, Sciences, Engineering

Average Salary per Year: $50,000-$120,000

Skills or personality traits: Mechanical skills, math skills, creativity, listening skills

Career: Engineer

Major: Business, math

Average Salary per Year: $38,000-$106,000

Skills or personality traits: Communication skills, detail oriented, math skills, organizational skills

Career: Accountant

Major: Chemistry, Biology, Administrative Justice, Forensic Science

Average Salary per Year: $51,000-$82,000

Skills or personality traits: Composure, detail oriented, critical thinking

Career: Forensic Scientist

Steps to Take

Career Exploration, including self-assessments

Research your options! Meet with a counselor

What is Passion?o Passion is the emotion of feeling very

strongly about a subject Self-Assessmento PersonalityoValueso Skillso Career interestso Learning style

Find Your Passion!

50 hours a week X

50 weeks a year (2 weeks off for vacation)

X40 years of employment….

_____________________________Grand total: 100,000 hours

devoted to work time

Explore through general education Take courses that seem interesting

to you Assist.org Examples:

Chdev 39 Psy 2 Biol 5

Other Helpful Hints

Find out which majors are available at your college

Look up the major and see what classes are required for the major

Talk with your instructors about the major

Meet with a counselor to learn more

Schedule a career counseling appointment

More Helpful Hints

Volunteer, Get a Job or an Internship

Job fairs Job shadowing Informational

Interviews Internships Student clubs

Mon/Tues/Wed 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Thursday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Call 325-5230 or stop by AC2-133

Academic Counseling