Major Decision
By Tamara Gegg-LaPlume,
Career Specialist and
Ryan Barke, Academic Advisor

“I’m not sure why I’m paying money for my child’s education when he doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up!” Many parents echo this statement and find a bit of frustration related to their child’s indecisiveness in choosing a major. Being undecided about a college major and/or changing majors is very common. Statistics vary, but approximately 80% of students will change majors at least once in college and many change their majors an average of three to five times. Try setting the frustration aside and allow your son or daughter some time to further evaluate who he or she is and encourage him or her to explore career options.

Some students are undecided about a choice of major because they don’t have a thorough understanding of who they are, and they are unsure about their strengths and interests. The Career Services office can meet with students and assist them in outlining their values, interests, personality preferences and skills (VIPS). VIPS can be identified through informal discussions or through more formalized career assessments. In addition, the Career Services office utilizes SIGI Plus, an on-line system of career information that includes skill and interest inventories. Students can access SIGI Plus through the Career Services web site located at http://www.webster.edu/homecampus/homes/career.html.

Exploring careers provides students with essential information about options. There are a variety of books that outline specific career field such as Great Jobs for Psychology Majors, Careers in Healthcare, etc. These books can be easily accessed in most libraries. Similar career information is available on-line by utilizing the Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH) or O’Net (http://online.onetcenter.org/). These resources provide descriptions of occupations, job outlook, salary ranges and information about educational requirements. Students can also familiarize themselves with career options by taking classes in majors that interest them. The Academic Advising office can further assist students with selecting courses. Additional information about Academic Advising can be found at http://www.webster.edu/acadaffairs/asp/acad_advising.html.

Perhaps the most effective way for students to gain an understanding of career options is through obtaining hands-on experience by volunteering, job shadowing, or completing an internship. These experiences will either validate a student’s decision or redirect the student to explore alternate options. Again, the Career Services office can assist students with the exploration phase of career choice by providing them with information and assisting them in identifying potential employers to contact for volunteering, job shadowing, or internship activities.

Choosing a major is a big decision and there is one key myth about choosing a major that makes the decision seem daunting. There is a misconception that a major leads to only one career. Actually, most careers are not tied to specific majors. For example, people who major in English can work as writers, teachers, fundraising coordinators, etc., and can work in a variety of industries such as publishing, education, non-profit, etc.

Whether your son or daughter is undecided about a major, considering changing a major, or is interested in exploring career options, he or she can contact the Career Services office. We are happy to assist with making this major decision.

Phone: 314-968-6982 or 1-800-981-9805
Email: careercn@webster.edu