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If you could, what would you do differently in selecting a college and a major.

As a high school junior, what advice can you give me in the selection process. #college #college-selection #college-course-selection

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Ken’s Answer

I would be more open minded and more conscious of the importance of controlling costs, make sure that I was well suited for the career area which I thought I should pursue, seek out coop and internship programs which would allow me to get experience and career exposure along the way, and create meaningful and helpful networking connections as I went through my education/career journey. After spending many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I have developed some steps that will help someone like you to avoid some of the mistakes many like me have made.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

It is important to recognize that it really does not matter where you go to school. What is important is how well you do in your school work and how well you do in developing networking connections along the way. Here is a helpful video: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education ##
As I mentioned above, controlling costs is very important. As in any business investment, you want to lay out the least amount of money for an education to realize the highest return on that investment. Here are some good tips on how you can help that to happen: ## http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml ##
A very important step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field which you might consider. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person who tracks and works with graduates at your high school and college which you might be considering to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow graduates doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
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Michael’s Answer

Hi Katie,


It has been fun answering your questions as they certainly cause you to be introspective. I knew where I wanted to go to college but if I had to choose anything, I would have applied to more schools. I just applied to the one. Casting a wide net gives you a lot of options and can help you potentially to get out of your comfort zone and attend a school away from home. I received a degree in Finance due to its pragmatic nature. I thought that if I got that degree, I would be marketable anywhere and I was pretty much right. However, I never had a passion for it. I probably would have switched to a Management degree as I found that sort of background is more applicable to what I do now in my profession.


Keep driving in the direction of your passions and it will help determine where to go to school as well as what your Major focus should be.


Thanks!


Mike
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Jacob’s Answer

Hi Katie,


That's is a great question and one that I wish I would have asked when I was in your shoes. I wish I would have done some backwards planning when I chose a major. That is, identifying what careers I thought I would be interested in and working back to find a major that allowed me to pursue multiple career interests. For example, if I thought I might want to work at a think tank doing research but also was considering consulting for a professional services firm, I might have pursued something like economics or math. Both of those majors would provide tremendous technical skills that are extremely attractive to employers and a wide range of career options.


I echo the sentiments conveyed in the two answers you have already received and hope that mine helps too. I linked a career guide below and HIGHLY recommend you read the entire thing. I know it is long, but I can't overstate how beneficial I think it is. Read a section a day and you will finish in no time. The research is also very interesting and it's very well written.


I hope this helps. Good luck!

Jacob recommends the following next steps:

https://80000hours.org/career-guide/job-satisfaction/
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