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What was your undergraduate major, and why did you choose it?

I ask this question because not everyone gets a job in their field of study. This question is for those who do not know what they want to study, and are looking for someone who was in a similar situation. A lot of people don't know what to study when they get to college, so did your major play a big role in your post-college endeavors? #college #job #major #mba #field #minor

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Rachel’s Answer

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>


This professional recommends the following next steps:

  • <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
  • <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
  • <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>


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Ryan’s Answer

I decided to study international business. In all honesty, I picked this position because I wanted to get paid to travel and explore the world for work.


While going through college, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I had this knack for business. So after deciding I wanted to also travel, international business made sense.


At the time, I really wasn't thinking about what the future of business was and where it was headed. As the internet has already brought millions of people together it has also connected businesses to consumers all over the world. So international business was basically the future for most businesses.


While I do travel now for work, it's not really in the same way I was expecting. I work for an international company, but I'm not going to new markets exploring the feasibility of expanding there.


As you mentioned you are unclear on what you want to study. Think about the things that interest you and hopefully that helps guide your future.

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Elida’s Answer

I majored in newspaper journalism in college and later pursued a master's degree in the same area. I was a bit unusual as a kid in that I announced when I was in 6th grade that I wanted to be a journalist and pretty much stuck with it until now ... I've been a working journalist for more than 37 years.


I chose a program that offered me a good base in journalism ... if I remember, I had to take 12 journalism courses ... but also required me to double-major in another subject and to minor in different areas. When I graduated, I had studied enough and done a quarter internship to gain good journalism skills. But I also had fulfilled the requirements for a second degree in American history and minored in political science and art history (emphasis on architecture).


Journalism wasn't a hard choice because I believed (and still do) that it was versatile and offered me skills and choices. Everyone needs to know how to communicate well. Good writing is a skill across disciplines. So is the ability to listen, ask good questions, be curious about the world around you. The list goes on. I later pursued a master's degree so I could teach.


With that training, I've worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. In news and sports. I've also worked as a public relations officer at a community college and an advertising copywriter (neither proved to be my favorite jobs). Twenty years ago I switched to television and have done jobs ranging from news editor to senior coordinating producer of an entire network. In between, I produced shows and worked in digital media. Currently I'm a content editor, supervise a news desk and work across platforms with TV shows, radio programming and digital content on our website.


I know there is much more pressure now to chose majors that will make you employable when you get out. I think a lot of my journalism classmates (including me) figured we'd just go to law school if the journalism thing didn't work out. But I'd also advise that as you pick a major you don't get entirely tied up in money and jobs. College is one of the last times you can study and learn for learning's sake. Enjoy that. Pursue things that interest you. Be creative. You might find that something completely off the wall will provide you with a lifetime of satisfaction and a way to make a living. Try things. Dip our toes into unfamiliar waters. And don't be intimidated. Just because you're not good at one aspect of something doesn't mean you can't master it as your life's work. I was terrible at math growing up. The joke in my family used to be that I'd probably be a doctor if I could have handled the math (I loved sciences when I was studying). Who would have guessed I'd be using algebra all through my newspaper career to compute type size and crop pictures ... and that for the past 29 years I'd be buried in statistics and numbers working in sports journalism.


You just never know.


Follow your dreams. Be versatile and open to new ideas. Don't get hung up on the endgame and enjoy the process. If you do all of that, I think the major might must find you .


Best of luck!

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bridget’s Answer

Hi Kyle:


Excellent question! My undergraduate was double major: English/Political Science. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but I also love poetry as well as academia (thought being a professor of literature would be really cool). Guess what, most of my career has been spent in technology companies. I did get a master's in information science, but having a bachelors that built a strong basis in communication, examination and research provided me with the necessary skills to query and connect concepts in a unique way (call it creativity)!


Kind regards,


Bridget

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