I’m going enter college this fall as a freshmen but I still haven’t decided a major or even a general career direction. I would like to explore some career options in person. I interested in possibly going into the IT or engineering scene. But I also think I may like to teach or do something related to political science. Does anyone have some tips how to learn more about different career paths and ways that I could get some hands on experience in some fields to kind of see what their like. I live in Houston, Texas.
Try taking an intro engineering class to see if it’s something you want to do. You may be able to take a survey course that looks at different engineering fields or a seminar of some kind that will give you an introduction to the field. If you’re seriously considering engineering, I’d recommend taking the prerequisite classes as well (like physics and calculus) so that you can stay on track because it’s so sequentially based. Getting an internship in engineering is hard with no coursework or experience, but you may be able to speak to people in the field or research possible careers online to see what it’s like on a day-to-day basis.
For IT, perhaps you could try to get an IT position at your school or near your school. I know students who worked in our school’s computer help center, helping to troubleshoot computer and internet problems in person and on the phone.
For teaching, you could try tutoring or volunteering at a school. I know students who shadowed teachers or volunteered in the classroom. I did an internship where I was an aide for the teacher during college.
For political science, you may want to look more into what types of careers are well-suited for someone with a political science degree. See what types of careers you would be interested in pursuing, and see if you can talk to people in the field about their advice or suggestions. That’s a pretty broad degree so there are a lot of potential jobs you could do with that degree. Try to narrow it down a little before you start looking for direct experience in the field.
Thanks Baktrax that was a great post. “For IT, perhaps you could try to get an IT position at your school or near your school. I know students who worked in our school’s computer help center, helping to troubleshoot computer and internet problems in person and on the phone.” Are you talking about a college when you say “our school”?
I guess once I attend college its really going to help me find which direction I want to go. I’m homeschooled right now so I’m kind of not exposed to much. I guess Im just afraid that if I don’t decide my major before I begin college than I may not be able to switch it later to some of the harder degrees such as engineering or IT since they require so many special courses. However I may be mistaken.
It’s good that you are thinking about this already (and that you are happy to admit that you just don’t know what you want to do yet… that is a good thing!). If I were you, this would be my strategy:
Look at the descriptions and requirements of all of the majors you have any interest in.
Determine whether any are just total non-starters. For example, I was interested in economics for a while, but then I realized how much upper level math I would need to take, and suddenly I was no longer interested in that major!
Once you have a list of majors you could see yourself doing, figure out what, if anything, you need to do your first year to ensure that you can graduate on time if you go down that path. Talk it over with counselors/advisors.
Keep your mind open to options… with any luck, you will find yourself gravitating toward one discipline within your first three semesters. With that said, it is also possible to double major, and if you want to go down that road, you should figure out early on what it would take to do that.
Yes, I was referring to the college I went to as an undergraduate.
To be honest, you probably have just as much exposure to career paths and majors as most students who went to a typical high school. Most students figure out what they want to do in college (or after!), and it’s all about trying out different things. This is why many schools have GE requirements–to force students to get a more well-rounded education and to give students an opportunity to explore fields that they might not otherwise be exposed to. There are many fields that you don’t have an opportunity to really study in high school, and the beginning years of college are the time to try them. There’s a lot you can narrow down by just googling different career paths or fields. If you think something sounds interesting, investigate it further–what is it like on a day-to-day basis, what is the trajectory like (both in terms of career and salary advancement), what education and training do you need, etc. Some people start with a major that they like and then narrow it down to potential careers (during or after college). Some people find a job that they want to do and then get the degree that they need to do it.
Schools are all aware that students are going to switch majors. It can be harder or easier to switch majors depending on the major you want to switch to and what school you go to. The harder thing about engineering is that many of the classes need to be taken in sequence (and there’s just a large number of requirements) so it can take longer to graduate if you switch later on. This is why I generally recommend that if you are seriously considering majoring in engineering, start out on that path. It’s a lot easier to switch out of engineering than it is to switch into (if you haven’t take a lot of the prerequisite courses already). Just make sure you don’t let your GPA take too much of a hit if this is something you’re just trying out.
Basically, if you are OK with math, then engineering is the obvious choice.
Political science and Engineering are two different ballparks.
If you like to think analytically and be confused for hours on end and then finally understand a problem, then engineering is for you. If not, then look elsewhere.