Career Exploration and College Major Selection

Before choosing a major, understand yourself: Interests: • What subjects do you enjoy most? • What activities energize you? • What topics do you read about in your free time? • What problems would you like to solve? Skills and Strengths: • What are you naturally good at? • What skills have you developed through experience? • What do others say you do well? • What achievements are you most proud of? Values: • What is important to you in a career? • Do you prefer working with people, data, or things? • How important is salary vs. job satisfaction? • Do you want to help others, create things, or solve problems?

Learn about different career paths: Resources: • Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook • O*NET Interest Profiler • Professional association websites • LinkedIn to research professionals • Informational interviews with people in careers of interest Consider: • Job outlook and growth projections • Typical salary ranges • Education and training requirements • Daily responsibilities and work environment • Opportunities for advancement • Work-life balance • Geographic flexibility

Remember that your major doesn't have to directly correspond to your career: • Many careers accept graduates from multiple majors • Liberal arts majors develop transferable skills • You can double major or minor in complementary areas • Graduate school can redirect your career path • Consider interdisciplinary programs • Some colleges allow you to design your own major • You can change your major (most students do) Popular Major Categories: • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) • Business and Economics • Liberal Arts and Humanities • Social Sciences • Fine and Performing Arts • Health and Medical Sciences • Education