Choosing A Major/Career

Step One: Self Assessment

The first step in selecting a major involves gathering information about you. The Advisement & Counseling Center utilizes a variety of tools to help students in this exploration.

DISCOVER, Harrington-O’Shea CDM, Strong Interest Inventory, MassCIS, and the Career Assessment Inventory are a few of them.

Interest Inventory

An Interest Inventory can help a student identify occupations that may be more rewarding for that student based on their interests.

Careers that match your personal interests will enable you to do what you enjoy most.

Values

Do you want to work inside or outside? Do you want to work independently or as part of a team?

These are just a few examples of components of a career that individuals place a value on

Like interests the more our personal values match-up with a career the greater the satisfaction in that career.

Abilities

What are you good at?Think about that question for a moment. Are

you good at organizing information, are you a “number cruncher”. Do you consider yourself good at technical or mechanical activities. Does comforting or counseling others come natural to you?

Step Two: Research Careers

There are many ways to research information about a given career.

The Advisement & Counseling Center encourages students to utilize a variety of resources such as print material and DISCOVER.

In addition a student can do the following:

Informational Interviews- Interviewing somebody already employed in that field is helpful.

Job Shadow- Job shadowing affords one the opportunity to experience a typical day in an individuals job.

Professors/Courses- Seek out Professors who teach in a given area. Try a course in a given area.

Job Postings- You may discover occupations of interest simply by perusing print or online postings. In addition information such as salary and educational requirements can be found.

Volunteer- Opportunities to volunteer can provide an enormous amount of information on a field as well as how good a fit that field might be for you.

Professional Associations- Professional Associations can provide students with a wealth of information about a given career field.

Online Resources- MCC has a number of links to online resources that can assist you in obtaining information about careers. http://www.massasoit.mass.edu

Step Three: Analysis/Decision Making

Hopefully we have learned about our self through self assessment and introspection.

In addition we have learned a great deal about the variety of occupations that exist, as well as specifics of these occupations.

Now comes the time to analyze/process this information with the goal of coming up with best match with a student and their career choice.

1. Piece together the information you have gathered. Are the career/major options you have selected compatible with your interests, skills, and values?

2. Pros and cons. Every major/career option will have pros and cons. Think about what you would like or dislike in this career.

3. Narrow your list to three or four majors/careers.

4. What are degree/educational requirements for this major/career?

5. Do you feel good about your choice/choices?

Making career decisions is a lifelong process. You will have many opportunities to explore and discover career possibilities. It is important that you incorporate all of the steps and become an active participant in this decision-making process.

Step Four: Action Plan/Goal Setting

It is now time to take action! You have completed your career research and are now ready to develop goals toward major selection and career preparation. If you find that you are having difficulty defining your goal, you may need to gather more information (steps 1 and 2) and make some adjustments. Reevaluating your goals allows you to make adjustments and to see if your desired outcomes are being achieved.

FIRST!- Define your goal(s) based on steps 1-3.

Example: I will become a nurse.SECOND!- Set Deadlines for your goal.

Creating dates for your goals will help you hit the target.

Example: By Feb. 1st , 2009 I will have my application for nursing ready and I will have completed all my academic courses for the nursing program (with great grades).

THIRD- Identify any obstacles that may get in the way of achieving your goal.

Example: Getting accepted in to the nursing program is competitive.

FOURTH- Identify people, departments, or agencies that can help you achieve your goal.

Example: Because admission in to nursing is competitive I want to take advantage of the tutoring center to get the best grades possible.

Good Luck And Have Fun!

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Some High School, No Diploma

High School Graduate

Some College, No Degree

Associate Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s Degree

Professional Degree

Doctoral Degree

$0 $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000

$419

$595

$674

$721

$962

$1,140

$1,474

$1,441

Median weekly earnings in 2006

Median weekly earnings in 2006