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Have you decided on a major but want to know more about it or are wondering what kind of internship or job you can get with that major? Are you struggling and unsure where to start? We are here to help. Relax, you have time to think this through.

Do you have a few majors in mind, but not sure how to decide? Get some help making a major decision — we have the people and tools to help make this decision.

Tools to Help You Explore

Focus 2

Focus 2 is a self-paced, online career and education planning tool that is designed to help you make decisions about future career goals and education plans. Focus 2 provides five self-assessments to help you identify your top work interests, values, skills, personality type, and leisure time interests and explore occupations and major areas of study compatible with your personal attributes.  Use Focus 2 to help choose or change your major and also to verify your choice of a career field.       

To get started on Focus 2: 

• First time users:  using your uwec.edu e-mail address.  Use the following ACCESS CODE when prompted: Blugold
• Returning users:  (using the account you have already created)

Questions to consider as you complete Focus 2:

• After completing the self-assessments, what is one thing that you learned about yourself?
• Based on the assessments, what are three careers that interest you?  Why?
• After exploring majors and careers in Focus 2, what is one thing you learned about an occupation that interests you?
• What three careers that are not of interest to you?  Why?

After completing Focus 2,

MyMajors

MyMajors is a major and career exploration tool designed to help you assess your interests, aptitudes, and preferences.  The assessment will recommend possible majors and career pathways.

Have you already taken the MyMajors assessment or already know what careers you want to find more information about?   Check out MyCareers where you can dive into specific careers to read about what people do in these roles, how to prepare for working in that field, and the career outlook.

Exploring Majors:  Questions to Ask Yourself and Others

Many students come to college considering a variety of majors, and others begin to discover new areas of interest once they start taking classes. If you've discovered you have several majors in mind, we can help you learn how to narrow down your options.  Resources to help you with exploring majors are the online catalog, academic department websites, informational meetings with faculty or alumni, and even student organizations for groups that are associated with majors.

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Is this a major field you will enjoy studying? Why?
2. Of the courses listed in the under this major, which ones would you like to take? Why?
3. Are there required courses that you think you would not like? Why?
4. Which classes do you think will be most challenging for you? Why? Are there classes that you really don’t think you could do well in?
5. Which classes do you think will be the easiest for you? Why?

If you're uncertain about the answers to any of these questions, write your questions down and ask a faculty member.

Investigate Requirements

Check the or consult with an ARCC advisor to answer the following questions:

1. Are there GPA or other requirements to be accepted into this major? What are they?
2. Are there emphases within the major? What are the differences?
3. Is this a comprehensive major or do you need a minor? 

Questions to Ask Faculty

1. What do they like about the field? Why did they go into it?
2. What skills does this major require and develop?
3. Is there a good introductory class?
4. Is graduate work usually required to work in the fields associated with this major?
5. What minors or other courses might complement this major?
6. What kinds of jobs do students with this major get?
7. Are there opportunities for internships?
8. Are there opportunities for collaborative research?
9. Are there student organizations?
10. How might Study Abroad or the National Student Exchange programs fit in with the major?

Questions to Ask Other Students

1. Why did they choose the major? What do they like about it?
2. What do students in this major seem to have in common in terms of interests, skills, personality traits?
3. What is the typical class size for each course level?
4. Are faculty approachable and student oriented?
5. Is there a “make or break course” in this major? What skills do you need to complete it?
6. What were their favorite classes?
7. What do they plan to do with the major after graduation?
8. Ask them to answer these questions: If you don’t like to ____________________ you shouldn’t major in this subject. If you like to ___________________ you should major in this subject. 

Self-Reflection

Now that you know a little about this major, will you keep it/continue to consider it? Why or why not?