Choosing a Career or Major

Who am I? - Can you answer this question? If not, go back to Step 1 - Who am I. When you know who you are, you should be able to begin choosing a major and planning a career path.When you understand your interests, values,abilities and personality type, you can then begin to explore career and major information to see what choices are a good fit. Here are just a few resources to help with your exploration:

• The UNC Catalog
• The Advisement Centers of those specific majors you are considering (Arts and Sciences, Health and Human Sciences, Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business, and Department of Educational Foundations & Curriculum Studies)
• The Career Resource Center
• Discover - Research a variety of majors and careers
• Career Fairs presented in the fall and spring
• Informational Interviews – Ask a professional in your field of interest to spend an hour with you so you can learn more about the career
• Internships

How do I Make Decisions about My Career and Major?

70% of students change their majors at least once, and, on the average, most people change their career fields six or seven times in their lifetimes. Professional career counselors are available to help you with the Career and Major Planning process by offering the following services:

• Individual Career Counseling Sessions: Schedule a 50 minute appointment by calling 970-351-2127. Career Services is located in the University Center.
• Career Assessments: Your career counselor may recommend you take the Strong Interest Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Self-directed Search, or other assessments to identify who you are.
• Career Planning Class: HESA 173: Career Theory & Employment Trends is a one-credit hour class offered during the Fall and Spring semesters. This course leads you through the career and major planning process, exploring yourself, and the world of work.
• Computerized Career Exploration: Discover is a computer software program that assesses your interests, abilities, experiences, and values; identify majors; search for and compare occupations; and identify colleges.
• Internship Assistance: An internship is probably the most important step a student can take to obtain a career. Career Services teaches you how to obtain an internship. Internship experience is highly valued by employers and will assist you in your future job search.
• Resume Service: The drop-off resume critique service is free for all students and alumni. While there are many different ways to write a resume (see How to Write a Resume), Career Services advises a particular format so that we may provide consistent feedback. If you have not followed the guidelines and examples in our resume packet, your resume will be returned with a packet for your revisions prior to a critique being provided. Please allow 48 hours (2 full working days) from the time you drop off your resume for the critique to be completed. Career Services staff will make every effort to complete a critique within this time period. Please be aware that heavy volumes of critiquing requests occur in the week prior to career fairs and sometimes prevent us from being able to meet the 48 hour time period. If you have questions on how to proceed with resume revisions, please schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor by calling 351-2127.
• Mock Interview Sessions: Schedule a 50 minute appointment with a career counselor to participate in a practice job interview and receive feedback.

The more time and effort you put into STEP 1 and STEP 2, the more easily you should be able to make informed careers decisions in a timely manner.

Career/Major Decision Making Model:

Step One: Decide what is the decision to be made
Step Two: Brainstorm alternative solutions
Step Three: Narrow the list of your alternatives
Step Four: Gather information
Step Five: List consequences of each alternative
Step Six: Evaluate how your skills, needs, values and personality type fit with the alternative
Step Seven: Reach a decision
Step Eight: Create a plan of action to reach this goal

How can the Career and Major Information Help Me?

Have an idea what career you want, but do not know what majors can get you there? Know what major you want, but not the career options available? Major to Career Guides provide information about every major offered at UNC. They include a description of the major, job tasks involved, potential occupations, and contacts in the field. Hard copies are available in the Career Resource Center, or click on the link above to view and download your own hard copies.

How can Discover Help?
Discover is a computerized career guidance system that provides the opportunity for you to assess your interests, values, and abilities, to explore different majors and careers, and to develop an action plan.

How can HESA 173 Help Me?

HESA 173 Career Theories and Employment Trends:

• Includes self-assessments and how your results relate to specific careers and majors
• Is a one credit class designed to explore occupational information and the world of work
• Helps you narrow down your choices and make a plan for reaching your goals

How can the Career Resource Center Help Me?

UNC Career Resource Center assists students with career development. Resources and services available include:

• Career/Degree Guides
• Career Information
• Discover
• Employment Contacts
• Leadership Directories
• Major/Career Guides
• Resume Critique Assistance

How can the Internet Help Me?

Princeton Review
The Career Planning Process