On Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., a virtual Career and Major Workshop was held to help students needing guidance within their majors or future careers.
Dusty Petersen, a career advisor from the Career and Professional Development Center, said that three types of students would benefit from the workshop.
“There are essentially three types of students that would benefit most from this workshop. First, the student who has an idea of what they want to study, but has not made any clear career decisions,” Petersen said. “Second, the student who has an idea of what their future career(s) will be, but has not made any clear major decisions. Third, the student who has no idea regarding either.”
During the workshop, Petersen hoped to help students learn how their interests can validate the ideas they have or decisions they have made, as well as help students explore majors and careers that they would possibly enjoy.
Petersen began the workshop by informing students that not only do 75% of students in the U.S. change their major at least once, but Southern Utah University students change their majors three times on average before graduating.
He also went over the John Holland themes and had students pick the top three they believed they fit in most with. The themes included realistic, artistic, investigative, social, enterprising and conventional. For more information on the themes, visit the University of Oklahoma’s website.
Petersen shared many resources to help students figure out their interests, including the free 16 Personalities test.
For students that have decided on a major, they can visit the “What Can I do With This Major” website to browse jobs that relate to their major.
Petersen also offered an assessment on campus as another resource. The Career Major Assessment is a 90 minute appointment with a career advisor to help you find your best fit majors and careers. Students will share with their advisor information about the following categories: preferences, what motivates them, what they enjoy doing and which professionals are similar to them.
The Strong Interest Inventory exam will be taken during the CMA and the career advisor will discuss with the student their personality.
To sign up for an assessment, student’s pay for their $15 assessment here and will be further instructed to schedule an appointment.
“I would 10/10 recommend the Career Major Assessment to help give you that sense of direction,” said student Mackenzie Ahanonu.
Students can also interview professionals on their careers, which allows them to learn about career fields and building connections simultaneously.
The SUU Career Center offers many more resources to aid students in their journey at SUU and after. For tips on how to write a resume and how to decide on a major or career, visit the Career Center website or email careercenter@suu.edu.
Story by: Elizabeth Armstrong
news@suunews.net
Photos courtesy of: suu.edu/careercenter
