Choosing a college major can have a big impact on your career choices, especially if you are following a technical or vocational program of study. After all, it’s hard to become a pharmacist if you study computer networking.

Choosing a major or program of study is one decision that often causes students stress or anxiety. The following information is intended to lessen some of those feelings:

• Your choice of major or program may be important only for your first job after college; most people change careers (not just jobs, but careers) five times or more in their lifetime, and there is no possible major that will cover that level of flexibility.
• Many majors and programs share foundation courses with other majors, so you can often change your major without having wasted time in courses unrelated to your new major. Chances are that if you change your major, it will be to something similar, especially if you have completed an occupational interest survey as recommended earlier in this chapter.
• Most students change their major at least once, and many will change majors two or three times before graduating.
• If a change in major does cause a delay in completing your degree, it may be a good investment of time to follow a career path with which you are truly happy.

While these thoughts might remove some of the stress of making the choice, there is no doubt that it is not always easy to make your choice. The following tips may make it a little easier and perhaps even fun.

• Follow your dreams. Your first instinct in choosing a field of study is probably based on your dreams and life experience. Make sure you base your choice on your own dreams and interests and not those of a parent, spouse, or friend.
• Make it fun. What do you like to do for fun? What kinds of magazines do you read? What websites are bookmarked on your computer? What kinds of volunteer work have you done? What do the answers to these questions tell you about the kind of career you would enjoy?
• Build on your skills. A good choice of a program of study is not based exclusively on your likes; it should also consider your skills. What courses did you “ace” in high school? Consider also courses that you found challenging in which you learned a lot. What do these courses tell you about what you are skilled at studying?
• Research. Check out websites such as: “What can you do with a major in?” (http://www.brockport.edu/career/majorsandcareers/majors/default.html) Find out the type of courses required in a certain major. Visit the Career Center (Building 3 Room 108, Brighton Campus) or Student Services (5th Floor, Damon City Campus) for more information.
• Ask around. Find people who are following the courses of study you are considering. Ask them what they like and dislike about their majors. If you can find recent graduates with that major, ask them about the value of their major.
• Be open to change. Once you have selected a major, don’t panic if it turns out to be the wrong choice; consider it a step toward finding the right program for you. Repeat the major selection process, but carefully consider what you learned from your original major choice. Why wasn’t it the right major? (Did it not match your interests? Was the workload too heavy? Were the courses too tough?) What do you know now that you didn’t know when you made your first selection that you should consider in making a new choice?

Guide to the MCC Schools and Holland Codes

In the previous section in this chapter, you identified your specific Holland Code.  In the section below, you can use that code to help you choose an appropriate School and a major within that School.  At our institution, there are six Schools, or Academic Clusters sometimes referred to as meta-majors, and each School offers a variety of majors from which students can choose. The purpose of the Schools at MCC is to provide academic homes and clear pathways to every student so they know they are on track to completing college and achieving their goals and dreams.

While programs at MCC lead to many careers under all of the Holland codes, below are typical Holland code career paths you may find in the respective Schools.

School of Arts and Humanities
Typical Holland Codes found in School: AES

School of Business, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurism
Typical Holland Codes found in School: ECS

School of Community Engagement and Development
Typical Holland Codes found in School: SRC

School of Health Sciences and Physical Wellness
Typical Holland Codes found in School: SIR

School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
Typical Holland Codes found in School: RIC

School: Social Sciences and Global Studies
Typical Holland Codes found in School: SIA