Guidelines for Choosing a Major
Guidelines for Choosing a Major
1. Explore your interests. (Would you prefer to work most with data, people, or things?)
a. Make an appointment with a career counselor.
b. Take an interest inventory such as TypeFocus (log in to your Aztec Career Connection account and click on the TypeFocus logo) or the Strong Interest Inventory (see a career counselor or call our office at 619.594.6851 for more information and a referral.)
2. Explore your values. (For example, if you had to choose between helping others or high income, which would you choose?)
a. Talk to a career counselor in order to clarify your values.
3. Define the skills and strengths you'd most like to use. (What activities and tasks would you be willing to perform on a daily basis?)
a. See a career counselor (call our office at 619.594.6851 to make an appointment).
4. Research careers and related training programs.
a. Go to http://www.sdsu.edu/academicprogs.html and research majors you are considering.
b. See our What Can I Do With a Major In... section for information about common career areas, typical employers, and strategies designed to maximize career opportunities, as well as links to websites that provide information about the given major and related careers.
c. Utilize the resources at Vault.com, available through SDSU Career Services. Log in to your Aztec Career Connection account and click on the Vault.com logo to begin your research.
d. Check the occupational resources in the Career Services Resource Library. Also see the Bureau of Labor Statistics publications Dictionary of Occupational Titles and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (links will open in new window).
e. Find out the main entry level requirements for the career fields you are considering. Do these include graduate school? If so, see our Graduate Student information page.
5. Identify and research the majors most related to your skills, interests and values.
a. Take an introductory course in majors of interest.
b. Make an appointment with an academic adviser in the majors in which you are most interested. Ask questions regarding how your favorite skills, interests and values would be used and developed in the major. Find out if there are special requirements for declaring or completing the major.
c. Talk to people who are in that major about their experience.
d. Talk with professionals in related fields about the SDSU program you are considering.
6. Make your choice.
a. Talk with a career counselor about your decision making process. Discuss any other concerns you may have, such as marketability, etc.
b. Visit the SDSU Office of Advising and Evaluations and check on the appropriate procedures for declaring your major, or read the SDSU catalog.
c. Talk to someone who is doing what you'd like to do with your major. Check the Career Consultants Network in the Career Services Library to find SDSU Alumni you can contact for an informational interview.
7. Explore ways to gain career-related experience in your major before graduation.
a. Look for class projects or independent studies which will apply your education to real-life problems or products.
b. Seek out career experiences in summer, part-time jobs, internships, cooperative education positions, or by volunteering. Career Services and your career counselor can help.
c. See your faculty adviser early in your junior year if you are planning to do graduate study.
Good luck!