Thinking About Changing Your Major?

By Lindsey Shanck, Toppel Peer Advisor

As an incoming freshman, it seems like students are on one of two sides of a spectrum. They either know exactly what they want their major to be and will not waiver, or they have absolutely no idea what they want to do, and they chose a major because it sounded like a good option. No matter what the case is, studies show that most students end up changing their major at least once in their college career.

When I was a freshman, I thought biology was the only subject I was interested in, and I would never stray from the pre-med track. I believed that if I dropped pre-med, I would stumble into a deep depression and never achieve my dreams. But what I did not realize is that there are so many factors in deciding what major is right for an individual. These include lifestyle choice, if grad school is a possibility, maintaining a strong GPA, and ultimately doing something that makes you happy. Almost everyone I know has changed their majors at least once, some from biology to psychology, like me, or some making a bigger jump from chemistry to journalism.

Although changing majors is very common, and it is possible to change them more than once, it is still important to put some thought behind the decision. Some people I know have switched majors simply because their other major was hard and they wanted an easy out. As a result, they are now very confused about what they want to do after graduation, and are no longer passionate about what they are studying. In order to make an educated decision about whether one should change their major, there are some things that should be done first.

1. Picture yourself in 5 or 10 years. Is what you are doing/ your dream job, related at all to the major you are thinking about switching to? If not, you may not be making a decision for the right reasons. While one should be happy in their major, college is for gaining experience to enter the workforce, and gaining a degree that could help with that. Changing a major simply because it is easier would be a good decision for the rest of your college career, but not for life after college.

2. Take a career assessment. Toppel offers lots of resources to help students find what career might be right for them.  Students can either come into Toppel to take an assessment, or take an assessment online. Sokanu is a new, free assessment that produces top job matches based on a variety of factors. For me, Sokanu produced very accurate results. These assessments may confirm the career you have always been thinking about, or give you new career ideas that may have been off your radar.

3. Talk to an advisor. Make an appointment at Toppel to meet with an advisor. They can talk to you about different career options within your major, offer advice for how to achieve your new goal, and discuss if changing your major is needed. Furthermore, your academic advisor is very knowledgeable about the field you want to go into and how to get there.

4. Learn your strengths and weaknesses. While a career might interest you, it is very important to consider the lifestyle you want, if you are compatible with the job, and if you would be utilizing your best skills. The career assessments can help you determine certain personality traits you have and how those traits could help you or hurt you in a job.

The beginning of the school year can be hectic, and with classes starting, it is often overwhelming to think about making changes to your schedule or major. However, with all the resources Toppel has to offer, these decisions can be a little less daunting. 

Career Toolbox: TypeFocus

By: Marissa Bell
Part of the Career Toolbox Series

When we were kids, people would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and the answers were simple. A firefighter, a ballerina, a veterinarian, an astronaut. As we grew up, however, the answers got more complex and a lot less easy to come up with. After a while, for some, the only response available for that dreaded question was a nervous giggle and a quick change of subject. It can be scary when everyone else in a class is listing off exactly what they want to do after college and sound like they've known since they were 6, and your answer is, "I have no idea." There is a constant pressure to know what you want to do when you leave college and to start preparing for it from day one, from parents, from teachers, from advisers, even from friends. And, if at the age of say, 19, you still don't know have any idea what you want to do with your life, suddenly everyone is giving you worried looks.

But keep this in mind: There is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want the rest of your life to look like. Yes there are some people who do, and good for them, but there's a difference between not knowing and doing nothing about it, and not knowing and trying to figure it out. TypeFocus is an online tool that will help take you from the "doing nothing" stage and the "actively trying to figure it out stage".

What is TypeFocus?
TypeFocus is a free online personality assessment that asks you a series of questions that at first may seem mundane and simple, but are actually very calculated and specifically worded to get an in-depth analysis about your personality and what qualities and skills you posses. Its goal is to create self-awareness so that users have a better understanding of themselves, and in turn, can create a more educated decision about what careers they would enjoy given their unique interests and preferences.

What does TypeFocus tell you?
After you take the assessment, the analysis gives you pretty specific information. The program assesses your answers and tells you what traits you possess, what type of situations and activities interest you, and what things you value in the work place. At the end, the program combines all of these things and gives a list of careers that satisfy those conditions.

Explanation that came with Floral Designer

Things to Remember to Maximize Benefits
First thing to do to make TypeFocus most helpful to you is to take it by yourself when you're in a serious enough mood to care. If you're with friends, if you're just not in the mood, you'll start answering questions untruthfully, which will affect your answers, and make the results unusable. Yes, some of the questions seem like they're crazy, but there is a reason for all of them, so take it seriously and answer truthfully. The most important thing to remember when taking the TypeFocus, or any personality assessment, is to not focus on the results, but rather what the results mean. When I, an advertising and psychology major, took the test, my top results were a florist and a clergyman. I scoffed and dismissed the results. I never took the time to try to understand why I got those results. Once I did, I realized that I was someone who was creative, and enjoyed being a leader, but also valued communication with others and wanted a nurturing workplace. If you just take results at face value, they will mean nothing. Take the time to really understand your results. With TypeFocus, it's nice because all you have to do is click on the job title to get an in-depth explanation about exactly why that result appeared for you. It's the traits that matter in a position, not the title. I don't want to be a florist, but I know I need a job that is people focused and creative to be happy. And knowing that tells me that being a researcher isn't for me which is priceless information to know when choosing a career path in school.

Where to Find TypeFocus/Other Options
TypeFocus is free for University of Miami students and alumni, but if you just try to log on via the website, you will have to pay. In order to create a free account, go to your HireACane account, login, and scroll down. In the middle of the page about halfway down is a graphic that says, "TypeFocus, New Users Here!" click there and voila! There are three separate assessments, make sure you take all of them to reap the full benefits. All together, it will take about 25-30 minutes. Other options you have if you still want more is the SDS, a self-graded assessment, or the Strong Interest Inventory, which costs $10, but comes with an hour long appointment with one of our advisers to go over the results. Feel free to come in to Toppel between 8:30-5:00 and we'll set you up with either.

Utilize these tools so that next time someone at a holiday party asks you what you want to do after school, or the kid next to you starts talking about his 10 year plan, you don't feel an overwhelming urge to slap someone.

So Many Majors, Which is the Right One For Me?

Written by Thien Van Tran

Do you know what your plans are after graduation? It’s never too early to start thinking about where you want to end up. I know when you’re a freshman, it seems like there are endless possibilities and you have all the time in the world to figure out what’s right for you. You want to experiment, try one major for a while, and then ditch it and move on to the next one once you realize it ain’t for you. Well I’m here to tell you, DO IT. When I was a boy, my father told me, “Son, for you, the sky is the limit.” And just like that, my aspirations of being an astronaut were crushed. But I didn’t let that stop me. You don’t want to get stuck with a major you end up hating just because you were too stubborn to start over and try something you think you’ll like. That’s like finally finding the end of the rainbow, and then finding out the gold is at the other end.

It’s okay to not be good at something. It’s okay to make mistakes, to fail. I know most people will tell you to never make the same mistake twice and personally, I never make the same mistake twice. I usually do it at least five or six times, just to be sure. It’s definitely better to spend a few ambiguous weeks of soul-searching and find the right path than to spend four years stumbling around.

Speak Up

Did you know that your choice in majors can lead to higher or lower rates of unemployment in the future? You did? Well, did you know that median incomes could be influenced by your choices of studies? Oh yeah, you knew that too? Fine, well Tweety bird is a boy. Let that one sink in. For the rest of you who aren't wearing your smarty pants today, there is some mighty fine learnin’ to be done in this here article.

If you don’t like the classes you’re taking, talk to your advisor about it! No one can tell you what you should be studying, and no one knows what you like as well as you do. No matter how badly you want someone to notice for you, your advisor can’t read minds, so don’t keep your discontent to yourself. Me? I never want anyone to know what I’m thinking because if people could read my mind, I’d get punched in the face a lot. The sooner you realize that you’re unhappy, the better. You can start exploring other possibilities instead of trying to make the current situation work out.

Now some folks may try and put you down and say that some majors are better than others. You can read all about these types of people in this here blog post written by an especially attractive individual. But don’t let them get to you. Some people are sad or frustrated, so they try to bring those around them down too. But you know what? Some people just need a high five. To the face. WITH A CHAIR.

Career Assessments

If you are completely lost when it comes to what you want to do in terms of a career or job or the direction of your life in general, then I recommend a career assessment test. At the Toppel Career Center, we offer many (three) types of assessments. One is the Strong Interest Inventory, and another is the Self Directed Search. They both help students discover interests, preferences, personality types, and other useful information in order to make educated decisions about careers and passions. The SDS is different in that you take the test on your own rather than online, and it is free. The STRONG test will set you back $10, but is definitely worth it. Imagine coming in tomorrow and taking the test and finding out in time for Christmas what you want to do with your life. What more can you wish for this Christmas? I started putting together my list early this year, but stopped midway since Santa wrote me a month ago telling me not to expect much this time around. The third assessment is the TypeFocus and it is free, online, and you can access it on the home page of your HireACane account.

My Top 5 HireACane Tips for your Job or Internship Search

By Megan Garber

1. Update your Profile (Personal, Academic, and Privacy settings)

Make sure your graduation date, major, and academic year are updated. 

2. Upload an updated resume

You can apply to many job and internship positions directly on HireACane, but your resume must be approved by the Toppel Career Center staff.  Once you upload your resume (under the Documents tab), a Toppel advisor will critique your resume and email it back to you with comments within 3-5 business days.  You may be asked to make changes and upload it again for another critique, or your resume will be approved.  If your resume has already been approved but you have made changes, you can stop by Toppel during walk-in advising to have it critiqued in person, no appointment needed.  Walk-in advising is Monday – Thursday, 2:00-4:00 pm in the summer and 10:00 am – 4:30 pm during the school year. 

3. Create a Search Agent to search for open positions

 A search agent will email you new positions on HireACane that meet your search criteria, thus making the job search process a little bit easier.  A search agent is helpful whether you are looking for local or non-local jobs or internships.  

• Click Postings, HireACane Jobs, then click Advanced Search
• The first option under Advanced Search Options is Search Agents.  Click the box next to “save as” and give the search agent a name.I recommend you select your major and full time, internship, or part time position.  Then hit “submit.” 
• You will get a list of positions.  Look at the top bar and you will see “search results” is highlighted in orange.   Click on the tab called “search agents” two tabs to the left.   
• Find the search agent you just created and click “Schedule”
• Under enabled, click yes, then select the period.  I usually select week and then in the multiple category I enter 1 for one email per week or 2 (two emails per week.  Selecting only new results means the email you receive will only include new positions. 

4. Use the Calendar to see what events are coming up this week, this month, so you don’t miss anything. 

5. Utilize the Resources on the Home page of HireACane

Three resources I especially like are:

Optimal Resume

Optimal Resume contains resume building software and allows you to practice your interviewing skills.  If you have a webcam you can record your answers to thousands of interview questions.  You also have the option to type your interview answers into a textbox.  It’s a great way to practice and become more comfortable before the real interview.

Career Shift

Career Shift contains web-crawlers that let you search for jobs on all websites (employer job boards and job posting sites such as Career Builder).   All you need to do is enter a Keyword, your Geographic Preferences, and the type of position you are looking for (full-time, internship, contract, etc). 

TypeFocus

Type Focus is a career assessment.  You answer questions based on your interests, and TypeFocus helps you learn about your personality and potential career interests.

Make sure you check out these online resources as well as Career Insider, GoinGlobal, and Internships.com. 

UCAN get an internship too

by Oleg Ignatenko



The spring semester is coming to a close. This is the perfect time to prepare yourself to make sure that your summer won’t go to waste and what better way to do that than with UCAN. University Career Action Network is a shared database listing thousands of domestic and international internships, making it one of the most comprehensive internship resources on the Internet. Unlike searching for jobs on HireACane.com, UCAN is specifically utilized for finding internships. This database is shared among 22 universities and fortunately University of Miami is one of them.

So for many students the question is, should I try to find an internship this summer or should I just get a job at a local store and sleep in most days for the next few months. Let’s assume that we are all mature, dedicated students who want to take that next step into the professional world by choosing the first option. There is an incredible amount of benefits that come with having an internship. You get to experience what it’s like to work in an environment that is specified to the major that you are studying as well as getting an inside perspective of the processes of the company. Many employers will be much more interested in hiring you later based on the fact that you already have experience in the field. You will have a great opportunity to network with other employees who have been at the company and build strong relationships with those people who might later on be included in your references list. Even though many students might be concerned that they won’t make any money during an internship, remember that there are plenty of paid internship out there as well. Plus, many of the unpaid internships could be used to acquire credits that would go towards your major. But in my opinion the most important benefit of an internship would have to be being able to find out if this is the right career choice for you. There is no better way to find out if this would be something that you would enjoy doing for the rest of your life or if it’s a job that you think you would hate or get bored at. That’s why it’s essential to try and acquire at least one internship throughout you tenure at college.

Hopefully, you are now convinced that an internship is the right thing for you and you are eager to start looking for one as soon as possible. Here is a link to UCAN. If you are still unsure on exactly what type of internship would suit you or have any other questions, feel free to stop by the Toppel Career Center and make an advising appointment. You can also come to Toppel for walk-in advising with an Internships advisor: Mondays 2:00-4:00 and Thursdays 10:00-12:00.

Good Luck!

Born This Way: Join the Glee Club!

Written By: Priyanka Surio

Lalalala! Oh can’t you hear the Birds and Bees humming, the smell of spring and summer meshing together, and the blare of Sue’s horn! Nationals are coming up and you have to figure out what you are going to do before someone else takes your place and potentially your title.

As part of the new popular culture phenomenon Glee, people have come to identify with one of the various competing singing groups on the show. Now it is Your Turn to figure out if you are part of the Glee club, a Warbler, or just have that competitive streak in you like Sue and her gang. With all these options and countless people trying to influence your choice, this can turn into a real West Side Story but I Dare you to Move and take action to figure out On ”Your” Own where your passion lies.

How is this going to lend any insight into the workforce, graduate school and life in general? Well for some reason, the American culture is all about classifying people into categories. Exhibit A: The Glee Club.

So what are you? Are you a cutthroat, competitive, Dynamite Sue, a team player Warbler, or a creative spirit pursuing New Directions? Each persona fits in a different category and in your potential career field it is important to merge both your interests with your career so that you find something you truly love to do.

Confused about where to Find Yourself? Looking to the Stars will give you just about as much insight as standing on your head upside down waiting for the answer to fall out in front of you. But not to fear, I hear there’s a New Kid on the Block, Toppel Career Center, that can help lay out the options you have for your future calling in life.

And then a Hero comes along with the strength to carry on..

The Strong test is a comprehensive online career assessment taken at the Toppel Career Center for $10 and an automatic advising appointment with our renown advisors.

TypeFocus is another online assessment that can be accessed via the main Canezone page and is absolutely free for students to take. You can also schedule an appointment to discuss the results with advisors. The results of TypeFocus, center on defining your personality type and broad areas of possible interest.

Welcome to the Old School Paper Based Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment that will still give you in depth specific results on a potential career field. I knew I wanted to be a doctor but Cardiologist, wow; this test took my interests to a whole new sublevel. This is also free for students along with a follow up appointment as requested.

Looking for a new direction

I am the Dancing Queen/King….Are you the creative artsy individual looking for a new direction, a new adventure to tackle; then it behooves you to explore the majors of Creative Writing, Foreign Language, or Music. Being an interior decorator, graphic designer, animator, or musician would play to your talents.

Want to win the prize? Then Enterprise

Mamma Mia! You are ready to make a statement and get all the attention you can muster with your competitive edge. Majors in Business, Entrepreneurship, Management and Marketing are a perfect suit for you. You will be happiest as an office manager, lawyer, judge, or politician.

Working together to make the world better

Heal the World and Make it a Better Place. Your ideal work environment incorporates people into the equation. You love working with others and are the type of person who would thrive in International Relations, Education, or Psychology. Your preferred career field is a social worker, nurse, teacher, or counselor.

Let’s Get it Started…Visit our website HireaCane and click on the students tab. Look under the Getting Started Tab, what to do with my major and you will unlock Pandora’s Box to a plethora of avenues available for each major.

Regardless of which category you fall under, you were Born this Way and it is time to embrace your interests and match them up with a potential major and career field that you know you can enjoy. All is “Glee” in Love and War, so be prepared to stay tuned to the show and arm yourself with further opportunities in your career field that will grant you both experience and exposure, minus the Paparazzi.