1) Self-reflection
Begin with self-reflection. In order to make informed choices about majors and careers, students need to first evaluate their values, interests, personality traits, and skills.
- Interests: What do you enjoy doing? What subjects do you like?
- Personality: What energizes you? What environment suits your learning and work style?
- Values: What's important to you? What motivates you to take action?
- Skills: What are activities in which you excel? What are your natural abilities?
Evaluating these personal areas requires honest reflection and many students and alumni find it helpful to work with a Career Consultant to ensure that they are conducting a thorough self-assessment.
2) Assessment
There is no "career test" that can determine what path you should pursue. However, there are online assessments offered through the Career Center that can help you identify careers related to your interests, personality type, values, and skills. We encourage you to discuss your results with a Career Consultant for a clear understanding of how this information can help you in career planning.
Consider what you learned through self-assessment and explore your options.
- Look at a complete list of UA majors
- Cross off any you would not consider, but do not eliminate majors simply because you know nothing about them
- Gather additional information about majors through the UA Catalog and departmental Web sites
- Talk with faculty and students to learn more details about classes and projects
If you have trouble working through these steps, you might want to consider possible issues preventing you from making a decision. Many factors can contribute to the difficulty of choosing a major or career. We invite you to meet with your Career Consultant to discuss choosing your major.
3) Take Action
Follow a Career Action Plan that will assist you with reaching your goals.
Freshman & First Year Students
- Inquiry and Awareness
- Register with the Career Center through CrimsonCareers.
- It is not essential to select a major as a freshman, but you should meet with a career consultant to identify skills, abilities, interests, and values that relate to college majors and careers.
- Consult with an academic advisor (scroll down page for list of advisors) to plan a course of study related to your interests and career goals.
- Complete an informational interview with someone in a profession of interest to gain his or her perspective and advice.
- Get to know upperclassmen, faculty members, and administrators who can provide you with information about majors and career options. (Begin to build your career network).
- Visit the Community Service Center to learn about volunteering. Volunteering not only allows you to serve the community, but also to explore new career options, network, and build workplace skills that can be documented on your resume.
- View the Student Organizations Directory to identify opportunities for campus involvement.
- Attend career workshops, employer panels and career fairs to learn about internships/co-op opportunities and how to be a competitive candidate for such positions.
- If you need help with study habits or test anxiety, visit the Center for Teaching and Learning.