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Choose a Major by Finding Your Best Career

<p dir&equals;"ltr"><img class&equals;"aligncenter" alt&equals;"" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;collegecareerlife&period;net&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2011&sol;03&sol;career&lowbar;hand&lowbar;edited&period;jpg" width&equals;"449" height&equals;"401" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p dir&equals;"ltr">Many students think of college as a huge and risky investment because schools can&&num;8217&semi;t guarantee a good job upon graduation despite the huge sticker price&period; Deciding on the right major is crucial because the wrong decision can result in financial hardship and career dissatisfaction&period; One strategy to help you identify the best major and maximize financial investment is to determine your ideal career&period; By articulating your career goals&comma; you can then figure out which major will prove the most beneficial&period; Some tips for choosing your best career&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p dir&equals;"ltr">The first step to getting on the right career track is to determine your personality&period; Are you introverted or extroverted&comma; do you like routine or spontaneity&quest; There are several online personality tests&comma; but not all are accurate or helpful in career planning&period; Your best bet is to visit your campus career center and speak with a qualified career counselor&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p dir&equals;"ltr">Another important consideration is your <span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;"><a title&equals;"Assessing Your Career Values" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;collegecareerlife&period;net&sol;assessing-career-values&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank"><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;">career values<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;span>&period; Some career values&colon; social interaction&comma; autonomy&comma; achievement&comma; and security&period; Decide which values are most vital and which ones you can take or leave&period; A career counselor can help you narrow down your career values&period; You can also take the <span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;"><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;myplan&period;com&sol;assess&sol;values&period;php" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank"><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;">free values assessment<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;span> at Myplan&period;com&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p dir&equals;"ltr"><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;"><a title&equals;"Career Interests&colon; People&comma; Things&comma; Facts&comma; and Ideas" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;collegecareerlife&period;net&sol;career-interests&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank"><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;">Interests<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;span> matter when it comes to career satisfaction&period; No matter how much money you make&comma; a lack of interest in your career is sure to lead to problems at some point&period; Does this mean you have to pursue your passion as a career&quest; Absolutely not&excl; In fact&comma; not everyone has a strong passion for a particular subject&period; You just need to have some level of interest in your work so that you remain motivated&period; How do you identify your interests&quest; Take career tests &lpar;preferably at your career center&rpar; and think about the classes you’ve enjoyed&period; Another great way to identify interests is to get work experience through part-time jobs and internships&period; You may happen upon a career path that you’ve never even considered&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Although you want to enjoy your work&comma; there are practical factors to consider&period; For example&comma; is the career experiencing growth or decline&quest; Will the expected pay be enough to meet your needs&quest; No career offers guaranteed employment or high pay&comma; but try to choose a field that offers a good chance of steady employment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>After identifying your career goals&comma; it should be fairly easy to choose a major&period; To improve your chances of success&comma; pick a minor that supplements your major&period; For example&comma; if you want to be a child psychologist you may choose a psychology major with a child development minor&period; Still not sure&quest; Check out some <span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;"><a title&equals;"Top Ten Most Flexible Degree Choices" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;collegecareerlife&period;net&sol;top-ten-most-flexible-degree-choices&sol;"><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;0000ff&semi;">flexible degree choices<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;span> that lead to a variety of promising careers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Andrea: