What’s your major? What do you want to do when you grow? The never-ending question everyone asks from a young age. Below I provide the steps to identify your passions and turn them into a career for the future.
1. Reflect on your hobbies
Photograph credit: Cecillie Skou Andersen
Reflect on activities that make you lose track of time and consider the causes of your passions. Every one of us has something we do in our free time that we can easily lose track of time doing, from writing, art, or even video games. Once you determine what you spend the most time in, it will guide you to identify what career paths/majors fall into your passions. In my experience, I identified that I lose track of time creating art and writing, and once I determined that, I began exploring college courses that fall into my passions of multimedia journalism.
2. Major and Minor Offerings
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Look at the majors and minors offered at your college or university. Read all of the course requirements within each major and read class descriptions to truly see which classes truly interest you and align with what your passions. To figure out what I wanted to major in, I did this step, looking at all the majors, and creating a list of the top majors I could see myself studying. I narrowed down all the majors to simply four I could see myself studying, so I could further explore classes within those specific majors. Narrowing down your possible majors will help ease stress and what classes to register for.
3. Explore College Courses
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It’s okay to try classes within your top list of majors and learn it is not for you. But make sure to truly take advantage of the time you are given, taking each class for a reason to not only determine what you want to study but meet requirements as a student. Don’t beat yourself up for taking a class that isn’t the right fit, because it helps you to get closer and closer to discovering your major. For instance, coming to college I thought I wanted to be a Neuroscience major, and took an Introduction to Neuroscience course. It allowed me to learn how to challenge myself academically on another level and learn fascinating concepts about the brain, but I also figured out that neuroscience does not align perfectly with my passions, eliminating science majors from the list.
4. Get Involved
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Take advantage of the opportunities given to you such as volunteering, or getting involved across campus. Search for clubs and events that align with your interests like a club for your major, that correlates with what you want to study. Getting involved allows you to gain connections with other students across campus, and insight into what career you want to pursue. In my experience, I have gotten involved in HerCampus not only because of the people in the club, but because I am studying Multimedia Journalism in college, correlating with my passion of writing.
5. Network and form relationships
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By connecting with others in similar careers and students in your major, will allow you to gain insight into your destined field, learn about opportunities, and potential collaborations or job offers for the future. An advisor for college is also beneficial to your career by providing guidance,and personal growth. Together, networking and mentorships can open doors to opportunities that align with your passions, making your career into what you love. So don’t be afraid to reach out to your advisor to help you find your major to prepare you for your passionate career.
6. Take advantage of services
Colleges, including Augustana provide numerous services to help you discover your future career options and to discover your passions. For example, Augustana college has a specific office CORE dedicated to career exploration that can be very beneficial if you still are in search for answers. Colleges have created programs like CORE to be utilized to help with careers, so take advantage of the programs your college gives to you to truly immerse in the college education.
I hope these steps have helped you consider your future career. Remember to take it day by day, and listen to your passions to figure out how to make your passions into your career.