TEN WAYS TO “DATE” YOUR MAJOR:

Sarah Kyllo First-year advisor at Oregon State University

Finding ‘love’ and ‘passion’

The journey to adulthood and life decisions can be overwhelming: Get a career, find love, personal fulfillment, and live happily ever after. Does this seem like an immense task? These are huge decisions that will have a big impact on a student’s life.

◦ Choosing a major in college, like dating and choosing a partner, is a process.

◦Most of us have either personally or know someone who has tried online dating. In our technology driven world, it is a way to narrow your search, have new experiences, meet people, and maybe find your true match and true love. Comparing dating to the process of major selection can be a fun way for advisors to engage students in the process of exploring majors.

◦ Below are ten ways for students to “date their major”, that can serve as a way to start the discussion with students:

1. Creating Your Profile:◦ Just like online dating sites, you have to start with yourself and who

you are.

◦ Think about “who” you want to be instead of just “what” you want to be

◦What qualities would you like to have others say that you possess?

◦What qualities do you admire in others?

2. What are you looking for?

◦ As in dating, selecting a major requires you to figure out what you like and what you need. What do you value?

◦ If you had a million dollars, how would you spend your free time?

◦How many degrees are offered at your college? What are 3 to 5 majors you are thinking of?

◦What is interesting about these majors?

◦What activities do you do for fun and how might these fit into a job? Is there anything that you do where you lose sense of time?

3. Try a blind “date”

◦ There are a lot of different ways to try out a major before you commit

◦ Take a class in that major, attend an on-campus event, take a workshop, join a club or student organization, contact career services to explore options in careers

◦ Say yes to new experiences while you are at college and discover new ideas.

◦SAY YES:

◦“Find a way to say yes to things. Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learn something new. Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids. Even if it’s a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means that you will do something new, meet someone new, and make a difference. Yes lets you stand out in a crowd, be the optimist, see the glass full, be the one everyone comes to. Yes is what keeps us all young.”-Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google

4. Finding “the one”◦Sometimes people fall in love early and get married, some people date a lot of people and may never commit to one person. The same is true of majors, careers, and jobs.

◦There are lots of different paths to arrive at the same destination.

◦There are lots of options, and more than one major may be the right “one” for you.

5. “Breaking Up” (it’s hard to do)

◦ Even if you choose a major you think is the “perfect” one, it’s o.k. to still change your mind!

◦ Each class you take is an opportunity to learn, grow, and change. Don’t stay with a major you no longer want to be in. Your academic advisor can help you with this process. Career services also will have resources for you. Take advantage of the resources on campus.

6. Don’t Settle

◦Don’t just pick a major because you are tired of not having one or feel pressured to have a major in a specific field

◦Do your research, keep looking, and keep exploring

7. Matchmakers

You are not alone and there are a lot of people who can help you in selecting a major.

As in dating, sometimes it helps to get “setup”. Think of your personal network, who do you know in the fields you are interested in, think of your parents, friends, and their friends.

Ask them about what their degree was in, what they like about their job, what they don’t like, what do they do on an average day, does this sound like what you are looking for?

8. Think Globally (broaden your ‘dating’ radius)

◦ The world has become much smaller with increasing technology. Your future career may involve interacting with people many miles from where you are and from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

◦Utilize online media to research jobs or internships

◦ Think outside of the state or country, what are the experiences that you can have now that make you marketable as a global citizen?

◦ Consider studying abroad for a term

9. Dream Date◦ Think outside the box and dream….what would you dream job be?

If you dream of being a rock star, why? What about the job would appeal to you?

◦How can that translate into a career?

◦Do you value free time, do you want to change something, how do you want to be remembered?

10. Commit◦Declare your major after you explore the possibilities

◦ Keep growing and changing while you are in college, while you work in your career, and in life. You do not necessarily have to commit to a major for life, it is way to define your future career and help you get to where you want to go. The skills you learn and the experiences you have while in college, as in relationships, will be more meaningful than a title.

◦ According to Forbes.Com“In this new world of work, job opportunities will go to those who can play a number of different roles. Developing multiple skill sets can not only help you find a job–it can also help you stay employed. In a lifetime, the average person holds about 10 jobs across seven different careers, studies show.”-Deborah L. Jacobs

Look back on your experiences that brought you here, look ahead to the future, and enjoy the ride.

◦ Questions??

◦ For more information, please contact Sarah Kyllo at sarah.kyllo@oregonstate.edu