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December 10, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON
IN IL
Josie,
Please try to enjoy learning about various fields and learn
more about your
passions. What do you enjoy doing? Try to learn about various
fields that
would use skills you enjoy. If you work in a field you enjoy
performing,
you will be good at it!!
Please do not be discouraged if others seem to know what they
want to do
and what to major in. Many/most? of these people will change
their majors
and may even go back to school for something else after they
graduate! As
you go to school and take more classes, you will learn more
about yourself
and what is out there.
My nephew is a perfect example of exploring and being open
to ideas. My
nephew is a junior in college this year. He FINALLY has settled
on a
major!! Luckily he likes school because he'll be there an
extra year! His
first major was going to be Computer Science. But, he didn't
really enjoy
it and so wasn't willing to work at it. He KNOWS he would
love to coach
track. He's on the track team and is a born leader. His coaches
and
teammates see him as a teacher/coach someday. So, he majored
in History.
He could teach history and be a coach. After a semester as
a History
major, he knew that was not for him. My nephew has a cousin
(and I have a
niece) who has Down Syndrome. Because of this and because
he loves her so
much and has now been in contact with children of special
needs, he thought
that this would be his calling. To teach kids with special
needs. He
started taking classes. He researched what he would be doing,
how much
money he would make, how much of a need was there for male
special
education teachers. Again, he realized it was not for him.
Last Spring, he took some business courses. He loved them!
And he's good
at them. He is changing his major to Business. He loves his
job at a
sporting goods store because he can talk to people about running
and
possibly even coach at a nearby school. He could probably
even teach
Business in High School. So, he hopes that his Business degree
will allow
him to open his own store someday and follow his dream of
coaching track as
well!
Of course, it would be easier to know what you want to major
in sooner than
later! But, finding your passion is a process that takes time.
Be open to
it!
Good luck!
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A: FROM MENTOR MARSHA SEGEBARTH
IN INDIANA
Hi, Josie! I expect you are in the majority of young women
your age! Most high school juniors don't have a clear handle
on what they want to be "when they grow up". Often,
college students are really not sure when they begin! My advice
to you is to consider what you really like doing. What courses
have you most enjoyed in high school? Have they been more
science oriented, math oriented, history, sociology, psychology,
etc. Once you determine the courses you have enjoyed the most,
start thinking about (or speak with a career counselor about)
what careers these courses most contribute to. Obviously,
if you have not enjoyed science at all you will not be happy
as a physician or a nurse. If you haven't enjoyed math, you
probably won't enjoy the life of an engineer or a physicist.
Don't panic if you don't know exactly where you want to end
up when you begin college. The first year is pretty much given
to basics that nearly everyone has to have. It would be very
helpful, however, if you had an idea about which area you
will ultimately choose. For example, if you think you want
to go the science route, there likely will be beginning biology
courses required for science majors that are different from
those for non science majors. As you go through your college
years you will find some areas that you really like and others
you dread taking courses in. I think this is part of the advantage
of a good liberal arts educations. You are exposed (maybe
even forced into) to many different areas and disciplines
while you are deciding which area you really are most comfortable
in. As you progress through your education you might even
discover new areas you like or particular careers you were
not aware of. Keep in mind, too, that many college students
begin college believing they know exactly what they want to
be only to discover different avenues once they get into their
coursework. A major is certainly not set in stone your freshman
year. That is why we often write the major in pencil on your
advising form :-). My youngest daughter is very good in math
and is also very creative. I thought architecture might be
a good fit for her. She applied to the program, took a day-long
test, and was admitted to the early admission program which
meant she began architecture courses her first semester rather
than get the general education basics out of the way and begin
architecture courses later. Although she did well in her courses,
she realized by the end of that semester that she really did
not want to be an architect. She didn't want to design structures,
she wanted to use more of her creative than analytical talents.
She is now a graphic design major and I think she will stick
with that. She will still be using her gifts, but in a different
way. The important thing is that she tried architecture, decided
it wasn't really for her, and is now trying something she
feels is a better fit. Good luck!
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A: FROM MENTOR BRENDA WOLFE
IN CO
Josie:
It is not crucial that you decide before your senoir year
what major you want. When attending college, as a freshman
and some sophomore the core classes are the same for everyone.
You really don't have to declare a major until your junior
year in college. I knew that I wanted to do engineering, so
I went to an all engineering school - small campus, because
that was more important. I went in as a Math major and came
out as a Chemical Eng with an environmental sciences minor.
Just because you pick something now, doesn't mean you can't
change later.
I ended up picking Chemical Engineering because it offered
me a variety of jobs and industries that I could go in to.
Try to find a major that does not limit your choices.
My suggestions for good degrees in the future which will
be needed are:
Environmental Engineering
Bio-technologies.
Take a look at the part of the country that you want to live
in and find out what the big industries are there. Find out
what type of people they hire.
Hope this helps -
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