LinkedIn's Field of Study Explorer Tool helps you connect career paths with your major!

Have you ever wondered, “What can I do with my major”? 
Well, LinkedIn launched a new tool this year to help you find out what others with your major are pursuing!

This new tool, Field of Study Explorer, is designed to help you explore career paths based on college majors. The Field of Study Explorer provides you with information on:

• Where people work
• What they do
• Where they went to school
• Where they live; and
• How you are connected

The best part of the information depicted on the graphs for each of these areas? They are interactive! Simply select any of the blue bars to “dive deeper” into the information available.

To get started with the Field of Study Explorer tool, log-in to your LinkedIn account and select the “interests” section at the top of the screen. Under “interests”, select “education” and then “see fields of study”. To explore different majors, select the “explore more” drop down menu on the right side of the screen.

If you have any questions, on exploring different career paths with your major contact the Office of Career Services.

 

Fall Registration Time

It’s the time of year that students begin to question their choice of major and career.  Although I can’t wave my “magic wand” or see into my “crystal ball” to grant you a new major, I can certainly offer you some steps to help yourself narrow down your options.

1.        Self-Assessment – Explore and learn more about

·         Values – What is most important to you

·         Interests – What you like to do

·         Personality – Complex set of behavioral traits that make us different and unique

·         Skills/Abilities – special talents

2.       Research and Exploration – Explore and Investigate the World of Work

·         Job Shadowing

·         Internships

·         Volunteer Experience/Part-time jobs

·         Research

3.       Decision Making

·         Research jobs and careers using Career Services resources such as O*Net and “What Can I Do With This Major”

·         Conduct an Information Interview

·         Read the catalog for course descriptions and requirements

·         Talk to upperclassmen and department faculty about the major

4.       Get Experience

·         Job Shadowing

·         Student Involvement

·         Volunteer Work

·         Study Abroad

·         Summer job

Still undecided?  Schedule an appointment with Career Services and get started on the process of finding the right major for you! 

Majors and Careers

If you are undecided about your major, or thinking of changing your major, we have an excellent opportunity this week for you to speak to the academic departments.  The Annual Majors Fair will be held on Wednesday, February 20, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm on the 9^th floor of the Vaughn Center.  In addition to faculty and staff from the various academic departments, several employers and alumni will be available to discuss their career paths.

Once you have narrowed down your choices, you are encouraged to attend our Next Steps Workshop, Wednesday, February 27, at 5:00 pm in Riverside 102.  Sponsored by Career Services and Academic Advising, we will discuss what your next steps are to declaring or exploring your major.

I hope you will join us this month for one or both of these events!  

Spring Registration

It’s time to pre-register for Spring semester classes and you are still exploring majors.  What classes should I take?  What courses would be a good fit for my tentative major?  These are just a few of the questions that might be going through your head as registration time nears.  The Office of Career Services can help you narrow down your major choices and along with your adviser  assist you in identifying classes that will be helpful in making your decision.

As mentioned in a previous post, we have many useful resources on our Career and Major Exploration page that will help you look at your options.   First year students will begin registration on November 12,  and the Office of Career Services is hosting a “Looking for a Major” workshop on Wednesday, October 31 at 5:00 pm in RIVC 102.  Please join me as we talk about registration, how to navigate the catalog and find the major requirements, and discuss your concerns about choosing the major and career that is just right for you!  After the workshop, I will be available to answer individual questions and also schedule follow-up appointments to discuss your career/major options.  I hope to see you at the workshop!

Web resources for Career Exploration

At least once a day, a student will tell me that he or she has chosen a particular major, but then the next question is “What can I do with this major?”  Sound familiar? The Office of Career Services would like to share some great web resources that will help you explore possible career paths for your major.

On our career and major exploration site, we have links to “What Can I Do With This Major?” along with links to several government websites such as O*Net and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. 

Maybe you know a specific career that interests you, but you don’t know much about that job.  O*Net Online is a terrific source  and can give you information about the knowledge, skills and abilities  needed for a particular career, as well as the projected salary and outlook for the next ten years.  For example, a recent search for an event planner showed a “bright outlook” for that career in the future.   It’s very easy to search with a key word, or you can type in a particular career in the box that says “I want to be a….” .

On “What Can I Do With This Major?” you will find information on the major along with numerous links to various professional organizations associated with that major.  If you look up Psychology, you will find links to the American Psychological Association, Society for Human Resources Management, and the American Counseling Association, just to name a few.  This site is full of useful information.

So do some web surfing that will benefit you, and find information on your particular major and related careers so that the next time someone asks you, “What are you going to do with that major?” – you will have a good answer!  If you have any questions about these resources or any other career or major exploration questions, please feel free to schedule an appointment with a career counselor to talk about your options!