Major and Career Planning

A truly great major and career pathway decision takes into account many things: interests, values, personality, abilities, the job market, the desire to earn a graduate degree or not, the desire to travel or not, work inside or outside, with people or not; the list goes on and on.  Also the path to career success is not always straight, some careers require specific majors and certifications while other career options can be arrived at from many majors.  Yet many college students do not consider this before choosing a major.

Today more than 60% of college students, nationwide, change majors.  This is not a bad thing as long as those major changing decisions are incorporating accurate and valid data along with great discussions with a career professional.  Data + Discussion = Good Decisions

FOCUS 2 ASSESSMENTS (access code: rockon)
Before meeting with a career counselor or your academic advisor, explore the FOCUS 2 tool and additional assessments, research employment data, and then

Instructions for FOCUS 2

• As a first time user, you will need to click on the link for creating a new account near the top of the page
• Fill in the registration information and use "rockon" as your Access Code then click "Continue"
• You will need to create some password access questions before entering the system
• You are now able to access multiple assessments and exploration tools
• In the Self-Assessment section, take at least the Work Interest, Skills, Personality and Values assessments

CANDID CAREER VIDEO SERIES
While you are waiting for your appointment, take a few moments to view one-on-one interviews with professionals in hundreds of careers and industries.  This is an excellent tool to help provide some data on careers and related majors, ways to gain experience, challenges of the career field, and how do professionals in these different areas spend a majority of their working days.  Start with one video and check out related videos to help you determine things you might like to chat about with a Career Coach or faculty advisor.