Exploring majors

Your major matters, but you are much more than just your major! When you seek a post-grad job, employers will look at your extracurricular activities, your experience related to your career interests, and more. Major alone won't get you hired. The sum-total of your experience, in and out of the classroom, will help determine your opportunities. Keep the big picture in mind as you explore majors.

Some helpful articles:

• Myths about majors
  [Penn State]
  Straight talk that debunks some common myths.
  For example: Choosing a major and a career are not the same thing!
• 7 tips for choosing a college major you'll love
  [Huffington Post]

When researching majors, you will want to speak with multiple people to gather as much information and perspectives as possible. Consider identifying your top 2-3 questions from each of the categories below to ask academic advisors, faculty, students, alumni, and career advisors.

General:

1. Why should I consider this major?
2. If this is a restricted major, what do I need to do to be a competitive internal transfer?
3. What is expected of students entering this major (skills, time commitment, attitude)?
4. What Pathways or other introductory courses do you offer that will help me explore this major?
5. What type of coursework and projects (essays, papers, group projects, research, assignments) can I expect in the courses for this field?
6. What skills will I gain as a result of being in this major?
7. I am a creative person. Is there a major in your college/school where I could utilize my creativity?
8. What minors does this college/school offer? What minors do students in this college/school typically pursue?
9. What minor(s) would make me stand out in this major?

What opportunities does this department offer for:

1. Scholarships?
2. Internships/co-op/field study/experiential learning?  If so, is it required?  How will the college/school assist me in finding one?
3. Clubs, organizations, and/or student associations?
4. What other opportunities exist for leadership or involvement in the department?

What are the academic advising procedures of the college, school, or department?

1. Who are the advisors (professors or professional advisors)?
2. Are students advised individually or in groups?
3. When and how often are students expected to meet with their advisors?
4. Do I need to attend an information session for this major?

Career topics

1. What kinds of careers have alumni pursued with this major?
2. What might be some unexpected careers alumni pursued with this major?
3. How does this major help prepare students for the obvious careers (e.g. CS for computer programming)?
4. And the not-so-obvious ones (e.g. biology for lawyer, history for business manager)?
5. What career-related skills can I expect to gain as a result of this major?
6. Is graduate study or professional school required or suggested to pursue career fields related to this major?
7. How can I get in contact with current students or Virginia Tech alumni to talk about their experiences in the major or real-world success with this major after graduation?

• Guide to VT majors with sample careers for each:
  View: Majors listed alpha | Majors by college | Majors by interest
  [Advising Matters @ VT]
• Virginia Tech undergraduate majors
  [Admissions]
• Colleges at Virginia Tech
  Areas of study and academic departments within each. Read the websites of academic departments offering majors that interest you. Many offer excellent information about careers associated with the major.
• Majors fair
  [Annual fall event hosted by Academic Advising Initiatives and the SGA]
• Transitional academic advising for major-transitioning students
  [Advising Matters @ VT]
• Explore Engineering
  [Engineering Education, Virginia Tech]
  In-depth information about each engineering major, related majors and minors, transfer information, advising, and more.
• Undergrad degree titles
  [University Registrar]
• Graduation checksheets [University Registrar]

We ask all new VT grads to tell us their first destination after the undergraduate degree. [This does not tell us the longer term career path that each graduate takes!]

• Continuing education:
  Graduate degrees, programs, institutions — list by undergrad major.
• First jobs and salaries:
  Employers, job titles, and locations — list by undergrad major.
  Median starting salaries for colleges, and majors (if 4 or more reported).

• Pre-Education Advising Program
  Advising for undergraduate students who wish to pursue teaching or school counseling. Includes undergraduate majors and graduate-level teacher education programs for various teaching subjects, and teaching licensure information. Most teaching licensure requires graduate education after the bachelor's degree.

• Health Professions Advising (HPA) is located in Career and Professional Development and provides detailed information and support on  undergraduate coursework and other preparation for many health professions that require education beyond the bachelor's degree.

• Putting your liberal arts degree to work
  
• [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
  Studying liberal arts can prepare you for a range of careers.
• Find careers
  [Princeton Review]
  Look at careers, learn more about, and see related college majors.
• Match majors to occupations
  [Florida State University]
  Pick a major and see sample occupations and additional sources of information.
• Majors and career communities
  [University of Delaware]
  Learn about career communities related to majors.

Of course no one else can make decisions for you, but they can offer you valuable advice and perspective so that your decisions are based on more complete information. You'll formulate the best questions with some advance research.

Advising in the university:

• Career and internship advisors in colleges for undergraduate majors
  Faculty and staff in the colleges and academic major departments whom you can consult about career options associated with majors.
• Career and Professional Development advising
  We can help you sort out the decisions you need to make, and help you find and use resources that will help you.
  We cannot advise you on course requirements for majors and minors; you must consult the department offering the major or minor.

Working world information sources:

• Hokie Mentorship Connect enables you to connect with Virginia Tech alumni for career information and advice.
• Virginia Tech LinkedIn site to explore alumni by careers
• More about how students can use LinkedIn.
• Arrange informational interviews with people you know to learn about their career paths and fields.
• Career fairs
  Some focus on career fields. Note that the employment world is not organized by major! Do your homework before participating. See each event website to see who's attending and the types of jobs they offer. Employers are impressed by students who are prepared! Participate to learn more first-hand from employers about internships and entry-level career options.

• Virginia Tech majors fair
  Annual fall event hosted by Academic Advising Initiatives and the SGA.