Picking the Right Major

By Beverly Asante

Adam Kotsko once said, “We ask 18 year olds to make huge decisions about their career and financial future, when a month ago they had to ask to go to the bathroom.” How many of you can relate? As college students we are pressured to pick a major, plan our lives, and figure out the career path destined for us, all while simultaneously trying to transition from childhood to adulthood. Indeed, being 18 in the Western world is a big deal and picking the right major is an even bigger one. Scary right? It doesn’t have to be. Here are some things to consider when deciding the right major.

You are not alone

It is statistically proven that many college students change their major at least three times. Although that may not necessarily be the case for you, it is a bit comforting knowing that you’re not the only one confused. In fact, there are many people going through the same thing you are. There are even more people who have gone through it and survived. Not knowing your major at the moment may be extremely stressful. It may even feel like the end of the world, but it isn’t. It’s a start of an adventure, a new experience in which you get to get the know and understand the most awesome person in the world. You! So take a deep breath, and relax. Each and every single day that passes gives you another opportunity to grow and become one step closer to figuring out your unique pathway to success.

Talk to your advisor

Your advisor is your best friend. Get to know him or her. They are willing to help. Express to them what truly makes you happy. Ask them questions. Explain to them any concerns you may have. By listening to what you have to say, they can recommend the best classes for you. It is the best feeling to know that there is someone who is in your corner and willing to guide you every step of the way. Don’t be alarmed if you feel like your schedule is all over the place. It’s okay if you are taking classes that represent a little bit of everything. In fact, it’s a good thing, that way you can test the waters and see what your likes and dislikes are. How else would you be able to come up with a final paper, if you don’t have a first draft? 

Trust yourself

You have the key to success. No matter how much your mom wants you to be Pre-med, or an engineer, the decision is ultimately up to you. You cannot live your life in the eyes of others. It will come a time where you will realize that although your parents love you, they cannot live through you. You are given one life and you need to live the best life for yourself. Follow your dreams, whether it is becoming a chef or an actress. Never forget to trust yourself and know that even if you fail, you failed because you tried and not because you were too scared to try.

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.