Four Steps to Choosing a Major

This process is about choosing the right major, not your future job. After you choose the major that best fits your profile, you should use the College and Career Readiness Scales to explore a ton of other career paths while building your abilities and credentials.  

• Print your Values, Desired Job, and Interests Assessments. Use the Preferences and Dislikes to understand your top preferences and your Work Activites, Work Styles, and Work Values to match your profiles to the Onet Online job descriptions.
• Before doing anything, Read Steps 1-4, then click your top Interest below. In the blue box, add your second Interest but hold off on the third. You can switch your second and third interest but the first interest should remain the same.  This will maximize the number of jobs you can review. Click on the jobs that interest you to reveiw their detailed job descriptions.

Artistic          Conventional          Enterprising          Investigative          Realistic          Social   

1. Job Zones: 1-2 = No College Degree; 3 = Certificate, Apprenticeship, or 2-year Degree; 4 = 4-year/Bachelor's Degree; and 5 = Graduate Degree.
2. Headings in Onet job descriptions (Directly under the Headings, click on the "+" to see all items under a Heading. Items toward the top of the list are more relevant than items at the bottom of the list.)
   • Work Styles & Work Values: Compare the list of Work Styles & Work Values under your top Values and Desired Job preferences.
   • Work Activities: Compare the list to Work Activities under your top Values and Desired Job preferences.
   • Wages & Employment:
     • Select the state you want to live in.
     • Medium Wage is usually 10-years out. Times that number by 0.725 to get an estimate of starting salary.
     • Projected Growth: 3-5% is Average (Projected Job Openings: This number is important so you know how many jobs are available; 5,000+ is strong.)
     • Top Industries are fields where the jobs are located.
   • Education: Tells you the percentage of degrees held by people in the field. *Not every job description has Education.
   • Credentials: Click "Job Training" to find the majors for that job and the colleges and universities near you or in different states that offer those majors. *Not every job description has Credentials.
   • Related Occupations: This provides a list of similar jobs. Use this to expand your job search and find other jobs that match your interests and profile.
   • Additional Information: Learn more about a particular job by clicking links in this section.
3. Informational Interviews: Informational interviews will help you gain a ton of knowledge by interviewing people in the field. This step is for people who want to confirm their choice or are still not sure. You should interview 2-3 people. If you are choosing between 2 fields, then interview 2-3 people in each field. Remember, it's not about picking a job, it's about picking the right major.
4. Choosing a College is the last step. Use this stragegy to maximize your college experience!

**Click Choosing Your Major for a more detailed process to choosing your major.