How To Help College Students Choose The Right College Major And Career Path

So, what is the big mystery? Why do more than 80% of entering college freshman find themselves confused and frustrated by the daunting task of declaring a major and choosing a career path? Why are the answers not already crystal clear, and the path meticulously mapped out, by the time they enter the doors of their freshmen orientation? I believe it’s because not enough time, attention, and focus are being dedicated to finding the answers when students are in middle school and high school.

So much emphasis is being placed on academic development, and rightfully so, but at the expense of an equally important area of development. Students, along with being challenged to excel academically, must also be encouraged to develop an equally keen awareness of their innate strengths, talents, aptitudes, and motivations.

What we see, time and again, is students entering college and declaring a major out of desperation rather than inspiration. Instead, students should be approaching their decision making process with a desire to find meaningful and fulfilling work. We, as parents, teachers, friends, and family are pressuring them to make lifelong decisions based on a false sense of security in money and benefits. The result is a vicious cycle wherein millions of people in our country are stressed out, miserable, depressed, and unfulfilled because they are in jobs that don’t fit who they truly are. It’s the social manifestation of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The current system is not working and the evidence is in the lives and faces of the people we meet daily.

The solution, I believe, lies in breaking this cycle with a logical and methodical plan of action that helped me find my true place in the workforce and in life. It starts with helping middle school through college students ask themselves the right questions about who they are and what they naturally gravitate towards. The next step is in helping them to identify how their unique mix of gifts, talents, and strengths can come together to create an ideal job situation for their future. The final step, is in understanding that the ideal job/career situation may not currently exist in the marketplace. The individual may have to create their ideal work situation by leveraging their unique mix.

Ultimately, this means fostering and encouraging entrepreneurship, patience, and perseverance in our young people. It also means teaching our students that there is no such thing a failure, only results, as long as they persevere and don’t quit. "Be Great at Something: Find Your Passion. Design Your Life." is a 90-minute, 2 disc audio program that I have released to help students choose the college major and career path that is right for them.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

R. Duane Huff is an author, speaker, and president of R. Duane Huff Presentations, a training & seminar company that helps educators put their students on the path to personal and professional success. You can find him on the internet at www.rduanehuff.com or contact him for booking information at (225) 772-3264.

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