Myths about majors:

• Most students entering college have already decided their academic majors.
  National statistics vary but most state that at least 50% of entering college students are undecided about their majors.
• Once a student decides on an academic major, he/she will stick to it.
  Not likely. 50% - 70% of students change their majors at least once, most will change majors at least 3 times before they graduate.
• Student should choose a major based on current job trends.
  Job market demands are constantly changing and what’s hot today may not be hot tomorrow. Furthermore, estimates from various sources state that 40% - 60% of the jobs of the future have yet to be created!
• Students should choose majors directly related to their careers.
  The truth is that more than 50% of college graduates pursue careers that are not related to their majors. Keep in mind that most employers just want you to have a degree in something.
• A career/personality assessment or career professional can tell you what to major in and what to do with your life.
  Not. The purpose of these assessments is to help you clarify and understand your strengths, weaknesses and preferences so that you can make more confident decisions. A good career professional will help guide your decision making process but will not make these decisions for you.
• A major will limit career options.
  Not in the least! A math major can have a business related career just as a business major can be a psychologist. For most people, it’s what you do in your graduate program or on the job that will dictate your career path. So getting back to the examples above, a math major can go on and get a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a business major can go on and get a graduate degree in Psychology.
• A college degree guarantees career success.
  Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. Even the President of the United States will be out of a job someday. What a college degree does do however, is increase the odds that you will be gainfully employed and that if you lose your job, you will spend less time unemployed than someone without a college degree.

If you are undecided about a major, consider the following:

• Take a Counseling class
  Counseling 101 – “College and Career Orientation” or Counseling 151 – “Career Exploration and Life Planning” are excellent courses that will help you explore options in a systematic way with a counselor as your guide.
• Work individually with a career counselor in the Career Development Center.
  Career counselors are trained to help you clarify your goals using a variety of assessments and approaches.
• Ask a counselor about taking a career or personality assessment.
  A counselor can make a recommendation about an appropriate assessment.
• Take a variety of courses in different subject areas.
  If you are working towards a degree, you are required to take general education and elective units. Use these courses as an opportunity to explore new areas.
• Spend time in the Career Development Center utilizing their career resources.
  The Career Development Center has excellent hard-copy, software and multimedia resources that you can use to do research on majors.
• Talk to people you know who are happy in their careers and ask them about their majors.
  People who are satisfied in their work must be doing something right!

Check out the Career and Education websites by clicking “Career Links”