Choosing a career: it's as easy as

Are you confused about choosing a major or have a major but are not sure what you can do with that major? Some career and major exploration may be in order. So, how do you make a decision on a major and a career? Unfortunately, there are no short cuts to a good decision: you will need time, information, and commitment. Time to consider all of your options; information in order to make a decision based on what is important to you, and the commitment to make a decision. Here are your three steps to this decision:

STEP 1: SELF-ASSESSMENT: INTERESTS, SKILLS & VALUES

Assessments can increase awareness of your interests, values, skills and educational goals. It will also provided suggestions for occupations that seem well suited to the type of person you are today. However, they DO NOT make decisions for you and will not give you an authoritative list of those careers you should consider. Assessments are tools to use with your career planning but should not be used solely.

Career Beam is a sophisticated on-line tool that has 10 major personality/career assessments, salary information, articles on each industry/type of employer, databases of employer information, a resume builder and other tools. Because there are so many tools, please use our guides on using each segment of Career Beam to get the most from this powerful program. 

• Logging In:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam.pdf
• Overview:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/overview.pdf
• Self-Assessments:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/assessments.pdf
• E-Library:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/e-library.pdf
• Industry/Type of Employer:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/industry.pdf
• International:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/international.pdf
• Organizations:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/organization.pdf
• Triggers:
  http://www.brockport.edu/career/careerbeam/triggers.pdf

To use Career Beam, login to our Campus Information System. Click here to login.  Then go to the Career Services tab.  Only current Brockport students and alumni may use Career Beam. Instructions will guide you on the following screens; read carefully.

Students interested in other assessments should meet with a counselor in Career Services to clarify which assessment(s) might be best, given the individual situation. Other assessment options available include:

There are also several on-line assessment tools.
Career Key
http://www.careerkey.org/english/ (will open new browser window)
This will provide Strong Interest Inventory related codes and does charge.
Type Focus
http://www.typefocus.com (will open new browser window)
This will provided a mini Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

STEP 2: EXPLORE CAREER AND MAJOR OPTIONS

Now that you have gathered information about yourself, you can begin exploring majors and career options. At this point, you should not be worried about making a decision; instead, you should simply be increasing your knowledge of various academic disciplines and careers. Use what you have learned to rule out the obvious choices that are not good for you. This is time consuming and may seem overwhelming, but the investment you make in gathering good information aids good decision making.

Understanding the difference between a major and a career

Most college students think that a corresponding academic major exists for each specific career field, and that it's impossible to enter most career fields unless they choose that matching major for undergraduate study. This is simply not true! The relationship of college majors to career fields varies. Obviously, some career choices dictate that you choose a specific undergraduate major. If you want to be a nurse, you must major in nursing. However, most career fields don't require a specific major, and people with specific majors don't have to use them in ways most commonly expected. Research indicates only 50% of college graduates report a close relationship between their major and their job five years after graduation. So, that leaves lots of room to for you to choose the major that is best for you.

Choice of a major is only one factor in determining your future job prospects and career path. Your grades, the electives you choose, and the skills you acquire through your coursework, jobs and internships often tell employers more about what you have to offer than does your major. Furthermore, other factors such as your energy and enthusiasm, your goals, your experiences (jobs, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, internships) and your knowledge of and demonstrated interest in a career field play a large part in determining an employer's response to you.

Choosing a Major

Are you uncertain about your major? If so, you are not alone. Research has shown that up to 80 percent of entering college students admit that they are not certain what they want to major in, even if they have indicated an initial choice of major. In addition, more than 50 percent of new, first year students change their majors at least once before graduation, and some change several times. So you can see that your uncertainty about a major puts you, in fact, in the majority.

From a career development perspective, majors can be placed into three categories:

Most college majors don't offer specific preparation for a single type of work. Instead, they educate you and help (along with your activities, work, etc) to make up the personal package that can enable you to become who you want to be. Majors don't limit you to one type of work. For example, if you major in history, English, physical education, or any other major, you might nevertheless become a bank manager, sales representative, social worker, production manager, or pursue a number of other fields. Your awareness of the relationship between career fields and college majors can play a vital part in your choice of academic major, minor, and elective courses.

So how do you actually learn about majors at SUNY Brockport?
SUNY Brockport's Undergraduate College Catalog has all of the specific information on each major. The catalog is a good starting point: thumb through each major offered and cross out ones that you are definitely not interested in. Once done, you will narrowed your choices to majors that are of interest to you.

"What Can I Do With a Major in…" sheets. There is one available on each major at SUNY Brockport. These sheets can be helpful in understanding the major and where students from that major have gone for internships and full-time employment.

SUNY Brockport Survey of Graduates - each year Career Services surveys our graduates to see what they are doing one year after graduation. This information is reported according to major.

Visit the Career Resource Room in Career Services (Rakov Center). Over 500 resources to gain ideas about majors and careers. Career Advisors are on duty to assist you weekdays from 12 noon to 2 pm, and by appointment.

Take lots of different courses. Use General Education requirements to try different majors.  Adapt other courses-- Interested in working in health care?  Do your political science research paper on how the US and Europe differ in funding health care.  Do your pyschology research on why some people fear doctors.  

Join clubs/organizations to explore interests. There are many on-campus organizations that are associated with majors.

Choosing a Career

After deciding on a major, most students begin to consider career options. Once students begin to explore career options, there are many career myths that surface. One of the questions we get most is "what careers can I choose from with my major?" As discussed above, a major and a career can have nothing or everything to do with one another. The choice is up to you. So the question is not "what can I do with a major in ___?" but rather "what are the work settings and job functions that interest me, and what skills do I have to bring there?"

So, how do I find information on careers?
Career Resource Room - with over 500 resources to choose from for information on careers. Career Advisors are on duty to assist you weekdays from 12 noon to 2 pm, and by appointment..

Occupational Outlook Handbook (will open new browser window)- a great resource for occupational information. This is published by the federal government every two years and provides up to date information on the type of work done, education needed, and salary information.

Informational Interviews - a great way to learn more about an occupation from someone directly in the field

Career Connection - a way to connect with SUNY Brockport alumni that are willing to talk with students about their career path.

Professional Associations - joining as student member is less expensive and a great way to start networking. Try the Riley Guide A-Z index to find one for your fields of interest.

Recommended Outside Career Web Sites - links to sites that we recommend

Career Development Checklists

Career Compass- our guide to the big questions facing each of us.

Careers & Family - how to talk to your family about your career decisions

STEP 3: DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS & TRYING THINGS OUT

Once you have reviewed your accomplishments, figured out which values, interests and skills are most reflective of you and spent some time researching potential careers, it's time to begin developing your skills by gaining experience in your field. There are several ways to do this:
Internships (link to JobShop)
Volunteer Experience
Involvement in Organizations -

Though these three steps are not easy, they are a great way to begin understanding yourself and your future career path. Career Services can help you with all aspects in your career development. Whether you are a first semester student, a super senior, or a graduate student, we can help you get started with:
Career Planning
Student Employment
Internships
Job Search
Graduate School

For more information on any of this information or to talk more in-depth with a career advisor, please call Career Services at 585-395-2159.

Some information adapted from University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Virginia, 2004