Career Advising at EOU

 

Seeing the Way

I was always envious of my brother who ever since he got glasses in 2nd grade knew he wanted to be an optometrist.  Choosing a major was easy for him.  He now has a successful practice, a fancy house, more toys than anyone I know, and most importantly, he likes being an optometrist.  Unlike my brother, I fell into the "I have no idea what I want to be" category.  I floated the first two years of college with no specific goals except to pass my classes and have fun.

From my experience as an advisor, there seem to me to be two kinds of students, those who are like my brother and those who are like me.  My brother always knew what he wanted to be and what he needed to do to get there.  I was never sure what I wanted and therefore major hopped for quite awhile.  If you are like me, don't worry.  Explore.  Right now you have a great opportunity to take courses that will broaden your perspective on life.

When it is time for you to choose a major it's very important you choose something that interests you and fits your strengths.  I first chose Physical Education as a major.  I was definitely interested in P.E. and did okay in the core requirements like Physiology of Exercise and Applied Anatomy but I soon found out I did not shine in the sports aspect of the degree program.  After barely passing tennis, almost drowning in my lifesaving class, passing my bowling class with an average of 35 points a game, and never making a basket in my basketball class, I had to admit P.E. was not an area I could naturally succeed.  Two degrees later, I eventually ended up in the field of business and accounting education, a field that fit my analytical nature and came much more naturally to me.  So take a variety of courses, find out what your strengths and interests are and then choose a major that reflects those strengths and interests.

Most of you will change your major at least twice and will change careers at least three times.  Regardless of your major, employers want people who are ethical and work well with others.  They also want people who can speak and write well and are proficient in using the internet, word processing programs, and spreadsheets.  Start developing those skills right away.

Also take advantage of the resources Career Advising has to offer.  It is a valuable resource for helping you identify your strengths and interests, your career options, and also for helping you to build a resume and acquire those job search skills so that you are better able to meet your career goals.  Finally, get to know your advisor.  It's our job not only to advise you about the ins and outs of our degree programs, but also to help you in determining your strengths and an appropriate major.