Selecting a Major/Career

You may wonder why this topic is of concern to the career services people. Our greatest desire is to see you wind up in an occupation that lights your passions and satisfies your soul while enabling you to make the greatest contribution to society that you can. Preparing for the right career is the basic building block in that goal.

Be prepared to give some serious thought to next steps. Do not believe that you have it all figured out and know exactly where you want to wind up. Permit yourself to explore and discover new frontiers. Basic assistance in exploring your options can be found in the following free on-line tests which can help you clarify what your real values and goals are. Our student volunteers found these interesting and useful. Why not try them and see for yourself!

http://www.projectcareer.com/?code=G71-CPC50701-CareerTest&gclid=CKbF-ezDyowCFQ1dPgod3EBnaQ

One of those most respected instruments used in career testing is the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory. Here’s an on-line site for you to access:  https://www.profiler.com/cgi-bin/ciss/moreform.pl?client=ncs&page=intro&referrer=advisorteam

And when you have made a decision about what to major in, we believe this site could be helpful in deciding in what specific area to apply your major choice:

http://www.careers.siue.edu/majors/majors/default.html 

Please remember: The aforementioned sites are in no way to be considered a replacement for professional consultations. They are simply a means to move you forward in thinking about and considering your next steps as related to your professional endeavors.

Consider this list when you are conducting informational interviews with faculty and other department representatives:

What types of careers have graduates of your program gone in to?

What career options are available to students in this major?

What percentage of students from your program get jobs related to this major?

What percentage of students from your program go on to graduate or professional schools?

What type of student is successful in this major?

What courses allow for exploration of this major? (e.g. intro classes)

What are classes in this major like - primarily hands-on learning or theory-based? Is there a large amount of reading required? Are classes structured as large lectures, or small discussion groups?

What got you interested in this field and why have you remained in it?

What kind of academic background or prerequisites are required for your program?

Are there specific Liberal Studies courses you recommend with this program?

How many students are in your program?