1. Choosing A College Major and Future Career
Spring Quarter 2012
Lisa Hirayama

2. The dreaded questions: 1. “What is your major. ” and 2
The dreaded questions: 1. “What is your major?” and “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
It’s OKAY if you don’t know!
This is the time to explore

3. College is about exploring options!

4. But don’t wait too long…
The first half of your degree will be mostly general education… BUT
Don’t postpone actively exploring and deciding about your major
Majors have prerequisites – if you wait too long to begin them, you may extend the length of your undergraduate program.

5. Two ways to approach it:
What is my dream job/career? How am I going to get there?
or:
What do I love to study the most? What kinds of careers might this lead me to?

6. Your “major” Academic field of study e.g. “communications”
What interests you the most?
What subject(s) is the most fun for you to study?
What are you most curious about?
Where is your “passion”?
What do you gravitate toward naturally?

7. Your “career” Job title, type of work
e.g. “public relations specialist”
Consider more than just what kinds of classes you like to take.
Involves making a match between your interests and the demands of a job – between your personality and a work environment

8. Factors that may influence your choice:
Life goals
Personal values
Skills and interests
Time line/time restrictions
Expectations of others
Society’s needs/expectations
Reality of the job market
Reality of the job itself

9. Keep in mind…
On an average, students change their major 3 times during their undergraduate years!
Most college graduates in the US end up in a career that is not directly tied to their original undergraduate major
Most people in the U.S. will have a minimum of 6 different careers in the course of their working life

10. Notable examples:
Corazon Aquino (former President of The Philippines) MATHEMATICS
Martin Luther King, Jr. (Christian minister and human rights leader) SOCIOLOGY
Steve Martin (actor/comedian) PHILOSOPHY
Cindy Crawford (supermodel) CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Bill Clinton (former U.S. president) INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Michael Jordan (pro basketball player) CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
Mick Jagger (Lead singer – The Rolling Stones) ECONOMICS
Tiger Woods (pro golfer) ECONOMICS
Jeff Bezos (CEO – Amazon.com) COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
George Clooney (actor) JOURNALISM
Howard Schultz (president/CEO of Starbucks)
COMMUNICATIONS
Dr. Margaret Chan (Director General – World Health Organization) HOME ECONOMICS
Vera Wang (fashion designer) ART HISTORY
Andrea Bocelli (tenor, classical crossover musician) LAW
Chesley (“Sully”) Sullenberger (pilot who landed US Airways #1549 in the Hudson River, NY in 2009) PSYCHOLOGY

11. So How Do You Start??

13. Academic Advisors International Programs Advisors
Departmental/Faculty Advisors
Specialist Area Advisors (Joyce Fagel = Science, Maria Tungol = HS Programs)

14. Teachers what were THEIR majors? Why did they choose this major?
What other majors did they consider?
What job(s) did they have before coming to Shoreline?

15. WOIS (Washington Occupational Information System)
WOIS/The Career Information System
Use WOIS/The Career Information System to explore careers, create goals for your future, make educational plans to reach your goals, and find the training programs and the right schools to help you achieve your dreams. Whether you are ready to find a job right now, or you want to make a plan for more education and future employment, WOIS has the exploration and planning tools for YOU!
WOIS can be accessed from any computer on campus.
To access WOIS from off campus:
1. Go to
2. Enter Site Key* – qfn162

16. Students often wonder, “Can I get a job if I choose this major?”
Majors often seem unrelated to jobs in the “real world” – anthropology, art history, French…

17. “What Can I do With A Major In…?”
Occupational Outlook Handbook:
Career Bridge:
Employment Security:
College Board:
UW College Planning:

22. Some thoughts…
Remember that choosing a major and preparing for a career are not necessarily the same process
It is TRUE that a college education will help prepare you for the job market. It is NOT TRUE that most majors lead directly to specific jobs.
Any major can prepare you for numerous job possibilities – it’s all about the SKILLS you acquire.
Your choice of major usually does not determine your career options after college. Most history majors do not become historians…
Exceptions, of course – to be a nurse you need a degree in nursing. But flexibility even in technical fields.
Most arts & sciences/liberal arts majors do not provide a lot of “vocational” training. They provide a set of general skills, and a focus area within which to acquire those skills.

23. Career exploration and choosing a major involve a process
It will take some time
There are no quick answers
Career planning is a lifelong process – not something you do once and then are done.

24. Let’s get started! The Party Exercise
Challenge: approach this with an open mind – let go of thoughts you have about what kind of major or job you want

26. The Party exercise is related to The Self-Directed Search by Dr
The Party exercise is related to The Self-Directed Search by Dr. John Holland
The Self-Directed Search (SDS) is a career interest inventory developed by John L. Holland that is based on the theory that most people can be loosely categorized with respect to six occupational types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Occupations and work environments also can be classified into the same categories.
The SDS asks questions about the examinee's interests and abilities. It then produces a 3-letter Holland code that guides the examinee in finding the careers that best match his or her skills and interests. The test provides a list of occupations (and college majors) along with their corresponding Holland codes.

27. What’s YOUR type? R I C A E S
Realistic Investigative Artistic Social Enterprising Conventional
You enjoy solving problems and puzzles
You are a curious, analytic, and orderly thinker
You are good at working independently
You like to figure out why things work as they do
You are good at solving mathematical problems
You like using research skills
You enjoy work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions
You enjoy dealing with plants, animals and real-world materials like wood, tools and machinery
You have mechanical skills
You enjoy outside work
You enjoy seeing the end product of your labors R I
You enjoy work activities that follow set procedures and routines
You prefer working with data and detail more than with ideas
You enjoy working where the lines of authority are clear, where you know what is expected of you
You are efficient and organized
You are careful about money and material possessions
You are an imaginative, expressive, and non-structured "ideas" person
You enjoy activities like acting, writing, painting, and designing
You prefer settings where work can be done without following a clear set of rules
You are sensitive or emotional
You are creative, expressive, innovative and independent C A
You enjoy leading people and coordinating projects
You enjoy risk taking to gain recognition or power
You are comfortable in businesses, courtrooms, or political environments
You prefer action rather than thought
You are ambitious and competitive
You are good at giving speeches, talks or presentations E S
You enjoy interacting with and helping others
You enjoy working in settings like schools, social agencies, hospitals, religious organizations, or community services
You prefer to communicate more than work with objects, machines or data
You enjoy helping people improve their lives
You are idealistic, understanding, kind, generous and friendly

29. How can each “type” fit within one career?
Example: business R I
production
Research & development C A
Computer operator, clerical worker, accountant
advertising E S
Sales
Human resources, customer support

30. Some other tests: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.[
Fundamental to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the theory of psychological type as originally developed by Carl Jung
People are assessed as belonging to one of 16 “types”, which are typically referred to by an abbreviation of four letters—the initial letters of each of their four type preferences (except in the case of intuition, which uses the abbreviation N to distinguish it from Introversion). For instance:
ESTJ: extraversion (E), sensing (S), thinking (T), judgment (J)
INFP: introversion (I), intuition (N), feeling (F), perception (P)
And so on for all 16 possible type combinations.
Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory
This test is used to reveal career preferences. Takers of the test are asked whether they like, dislike, or are indifferent to 325 items representing a wide variety of school subjects, occupations, activities, and types of people. They are also asked to choose their favorite among pairs of activities and indicate which of 14 selected characteristics apply to them.
The Strong-Campbell test is scored according to 162 separate occupational scales as well as 23 scales that group together various types of occupations ("basic interest scales"). Examinees are also scored on six "general occupational themes" derived from J.L. Holland's interest classification scheme (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional).

31. Other resources to consider:
Friends and family
Host family
Volunteering
Work, OPT
Talking with people doing the kind of work that interests you (“informational interviews”)