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Which careers go with my major?
Real World
Pursuing her love for the arts, a recent Cal alum majored
in Art History. Due to her strengths in quantitative analysis,
she also took a number of math and statistics courses. When
it came time to job search, she decided to pursue positions
in the corporate world. She participated in on campus recruiting
and showed how her love for her major/liberal arts resulted
in an overall impressive academic record including a high GPA
and a unique variety of classes. In the end, she landed a position
with a prestigious investment banking firm and reflected fondly
on the opportunity she had to study a discipline she loved.
A popular belief among college students is that your major is suited
for one particular career or a very limited number of career options.
In reality, the career you decide to pursue after graduation is not necessarily
dictated by your undergraduate major.
It is true that some careers will require specific knowledge or skills
that you will obtain by taking certain classes. For example, if you want
to become a Certified Public Accountant, there are a number of accounting
courses you will need to complete. However, with most majors or areas
of study, you will learn a broad range skills that can transfer to a wide
variety of careers.
The transition from academic pursuits to career pursuits is a process
that may involve several steps, and there are multiple resources to aid
you in making good decisions. For more information on how your major
may complement certain careers, see how each of the planning resources
below can help.
Planning Resources
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Being aware of your interests, skills, personality and values will help
to clarify what majors and careers are best suited for you. The Career Center
offers a number of online self-assessment tools that can help you identify
these distinguishing characteristics about yourself as well as the careers
that may fit who you are. |
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Before you can make an educated decision about what career
path or field to pursue, you need to find out what is out there. The Career
Center has a variety of resources to help you do just that. One resource
that will help is the Senior Survey (What Can
I Do with a Major In...) which highlights the career and educational
pursuits of recent Cal alumni organized by major. Also, there are a variety
of books in the Career Center's Information
Lab that can address how majors may relate to careers. |
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Talking with people who work in careers that are of interest
to you is a great way to obtain information about specific career fields
and positions. You can learn what they studied as an undergraduate as well
as the relevance of their major to their current position. Whether it is
through networking events, informational interviews or contacts through
the @cal Career Network, connecting with
others can be a great way to gain information to help determine the types
of majors and careers best suited for you. |
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Obtaining various experiences in order to explore your career
options, whether they are related to your major or not, can be extremely
valuable. You can volunteer, take part-time jobs, or participate in internships
to gain experience in several career fields. Such experiences will give
you the opportunity to see what skills are important within particular career
fields and how significant of a role your major plays. |
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Meeting with a Career Center counselor during a scheduled appointment
is a helpful way to gain greater awareness about majors and how they relate
to careers. A counselor can assist in clarifying what you like and dislike
about your major (or majors you are considering if you are undeclared) and
how those preferences tie in to career options. They can also help you identify
skills developed from a variety of majors and how those skills are valued
within particular career fields. |
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Carefully analyze careers you are interested in that require
specific coursework or training so you can develop a plan for completing
those classes that might be outside your major requirements. Remember that
you have more than one career option, so get enough information about those
options to make your best decision.
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Depending on the types of careers you are considering, there
may be time sensitive issues related to completing required coursework,
practical training or applying for graduate or professional school. Check
the yearly planner to find out what steps you can take based on your student
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Take Action
Reality Check
A misconception among students about L&S majors is that
you have few skills in comparison to students in engineering
or science based majors. In reality, many employers greatly
value the education provided by a liberal arts degree from Cal.
You have obtained critical thinking, analytical and composition
skills just to name a few. Don't underestimate the value of
an L&S degree, but instead, learn how to market it!
- Consider some of the obvious career choices that are
related to your major. What do you like or dislike about
them?
- Consider some appealing careers that are not seemingly
related to your major. What do you need to do to become
qualified for those positions?
- Decide if you need to take additional classes, obtain relevant experience,
or earn an advanced degree.
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