Exploring Your Options and Making a Decision
The results of the self evaluation process help you to start the next step in the process of selecting a major: evaluating your options. While the self evaluation process helps to shortlist a list of possible options, the exploration process identifies one particular major that is right for you.
The exploration process involves gathering information regarding:
- Prerequisite courses and skills for the chosen major
- Possible job opportunities
- Earning potential
- Course work offered
- Quality of faculty
- Reputation of the program
- Alignment of the program with your values
- Where the job opportunities are geographically located and possible costs of relocation
This information is available from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, program advisors, career counselors, alumni and students currently enrolled in the program, as well as job advertisements and employers and people currently employed in related career paths.
Self evaluation combined with the process of exploration results in students deciding upon a major that is a “perfect” fit between their personalities and the kind of employment they are preparing for.
At the same time, you must remember not to become overwhelmed – there are more options available to students and more careers where their skills will be a good fit. If you are not sure what to opt for, try to find out through practical experience. Attend introductory lectures of the courses in the majors you are considering and talk to so that you can be sure that it matches up to what you have found out in other ways. Do not rely on a single source for all your information to remove the element of bias. Keep an open mind and be flexible in your decision. You should be willing to adapt and change your decision if along the way you think it will not work out for you. Just be clear about your ultimate direction and be willing to accept your mistakes and to correct them.
