Tag Archives: choosing a major

Choosing Classes or Picking a Job?

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Picking and registering for classes seems to me (an inexperienced freshman) like picking a job. There are so many potential options, however I still feel so limited in what I am able to do. I have gone over and over the catalog trying to find the right courses to take, figure out timing that will work, and find the best professors. At first I was so excited to be able to take new classes and have a wider variety of options. Then I found out that my registration time was at 4:15, and everything became a little less hopeful.

Going through these steps has been similar to how I’ve approached jobs. At first, I get so excited about considering all of the jobs that I could possibly have. I could be a journalist, the owner of a start-up business, a lawyer, a publisher, a coffee barista, a traveler… The world seems to be at my feet. However, I then realize that I can only have one (or two) majors and that I won’t be automatically given my dream job. And then I realize that when I go into the work field, I will be one of many little fish in a big, big pond. Just like my late 4:15 registration time.

As it is still only my first semester of my first year here, I know that things will eventually work out. I have all five schools here to help me take the classes that I need, I have a great adviser, and I know some tricks to help me get into classes. But it’s a little more daunting when it comes to working after college. Hopefully I will be able to build some connections while here at Scripps and take advantage of all of the resources that I can. That way when I graduate I will not feel too little in the big pond.

Finding a job after college and working for the rest of your life is still a little bit more of a challenge than just registering for classes for next semester. They are still similar, though. You have to remember that eventually things will work out. Even if there is a job that you don’t like, you know that you won’t want to stay in that field or further pursue it. Just like the politics class I took this semester. Even though it hasn’t been my favorite class, it was still good in alerting me to the fact that I don’t want to study politics.

The job process is similar to college, just stretched out on a much larger scale. While things here at Scripps seem to occur so quickly, finding and maintaining a job will take a much longer time. So after graduating from college, that’s the number one thing that I will have to remind myself: things aren’t going to work out right away, and it may take a few tries to get it right. Just like choosing your classes and trying to choose a major. It will all be alright in the end (hopefully).

When Life Gives You Lemons…

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When you’re trying to make lemonade, life doesn’t always give you lemons. It’s great if you do get lemons and make lemonade out of them (which you should), but it doesn’t always work that way. Success is hard to achieve. Some people make it look easy to be famous, or have cool jobs, or do really well after school. But for many people, it actually took a long time to get to that place.

Buzzfeed posted a list of people who are super successful now, but weren’t in their twenties. I guess that’s reassuring to know that people like Oprah weren’t always the superstars they are today. But is it really? It’s still terrifying to think about not having a job after you graduate from college, or not having any success with things you’d like to do.

We all have dreams and hopes for ourselves, especially college students after graduation. We’d all like to think that we’ll be doing exactly what we want once we’re out of college. As a first year, I know I shouldn’t be worrying about my future self in four years, but I can’t help it. I feel like as much as you set yourself up for success, it’s all up to whether or not life wants you to have those lemons. I definitely want those lemons, so I’m going to try to start early on my success after college.

What do I think that entails? I think that means going to career fairs, thinking about goals you want to achieve while still in college, making connections, applying for internships… Everything that they say to do in college. And ultimately I feel like even though you can try really hard to get those lemons, sometimes it doesn’t work out right away. But I do know that if you keep trying and stay motivated, you are a lot more likely to get to where you want to be. For some people, life requires more work to earn your lemons.

Embracing Uncertainity and Other Good Life Choices

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I don’t know what I’m doing with my life, which will come as no surprise to my roommates, friends, parents, professors, and anyone who has ever had the misfortune to ask me my major when I’m in a talkative mood. There are roughly two schools of thought in regards to career and major advice:

1) Do what you love and 2) Do what is practical

I’m not particularly satisfied with either. I love doing lots of things: reading (fiction and non-fiction), baking, talking to people, dancing, taking long walks, and explaining concepts. I am interested in many subjects: politics, economics, literature, philosophy, anthropology, mathematics, and history. And I know that challenging my brain, and then moving past that challenge into a peaceful flow of work, makes me happy regardless of what I’m doing.

I think I could love any career in which I had the opportunity to engage with meaningful problems, work alongside other people, and feel capable of success.

I could just try to choose, then, the most lucrative field with the greatest projected growth, assuming that I would grow to love anything that I grew to be good at.

But at the same time, the values I grew up with, and that pushed me to attend Scripps that I should use the resources at my disposal–my intelligence, my skills, my access to education, and my energy–in order to nurture my community and work for justice.

I used to think that the way to do that was through politics. I’ve always read obsessively about politics, and it felt like a way to make a large impact on serious issues. But when I got involved in politics, both as an intern and as a government appointed official on a youth advisory council, I found myself frustrated with the slow movement, inefficiency, posturing, and constant tradeoffs of the political and governmental system. My idealism and my introversion were not ideal–I could only ever fake schmooze, and I found myself often straddling both sides of an issue in my heart, uncomfortable with the existing political alliances in city politics that pushed me to outwardly adopt one stance.That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my time–I developed facilitation, public speaking, research, analysis, and communication skills that serve me to this day. I felt like I was a part of some truly important and successful grassroots community efforts, such as Free Muni ( local transportation system) for Youth and stopping the SF police from getting tasers.

(That last link is a great, um, example of, like, the importance *touches hair* of, um, figuring out your, like public speaking *touches hair* tics)

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My time and frustration in San Francisco politics made me more interested in economics, because, as a field, it promised a reasoned and often quantitative approach to public policy decisions, in contrast to the emotional, sometimes misleading rhetoric and side-choosing that had frustrated me in politics. I loved AP Macro and Micro as a senior in high school, and Economics is the major I put down on my graduation announcements. It’s still tentatively the track I’m on, since it lets me blend math and politics and psychology and after graduation, gives me a fair amount of wiggle room.

But I’m not sure, still. Who knows where I’ll end up? I would have never guessed, in my high school politics nerd phase, that I would be learning about software development frameworks and working on data migration and executive metrics. My current perspective, though, is skill-focused, inspired by the excellent blog of Cal Newport (who advocates for a skill based, “career craftsman” approach to finding a career). As long as I’m building skills and not doing anything evil, I can just explore, and be ok with uncertainty in terms of my long term career plans. I’m a planner–a really obsessive planner–but when I Wikipedia stalk my career role models, it’s clear that most career paths zigzag, and cannot be charted out in neat 5 year and 10 year plans. Focusing on skills and exploration, and being open to opportunity feels like the best plan I can make.

Major Dilemmas

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Hi folks! Spring courses are now up on the portal, and many of you, I’m sure, are busy deciding what classes to take. One of the main reasons I chose a liberal arts college is that I sincerely believe in the benefit of a wide breadth of study. But looking at the class lists, major requirements, and general education requirements can be overwhelming. As a freshman, I felt like it would be impossible to fit everything I wanted to do at Scripps into just four short years. For sophomores in particular, this is a stressful time. We are normally required to declare our majors by the end of the year (or sooner if you’re going abroad early!), and many of us consider spring courses our last chance to “experiment” and get a taste for the coursework in a major. The process of choosing a major was covered just last week by a wonderful fellow blogger, Jenny (read her awesome post), but I’ve just officially declared my major and wanted to add my own experience to the mix.

The way I saw it, I had two ways to decide: I could choose based on the academic and professional experiences I’d enjoyed in the past, and on the academic and professional future I wanted to have. Now, I understand that one’s undergraduate studies aren’t necessarily linked to one’s professional aspirations; even pre-health and pre-law students are free to major in unrelated fields. But for financial reasons, I’d like to be as well situated as I can for a job immediately after graduation. (I’ve also heard rumblings that 2-3 years of work experience are all but required before pursuing an MBA.) After graduation, I am debating whether to pursue a certificate in art appraisal studies or public accounting (maybe both?), or perhaps attend graduate school. For the purposes of this blog post, I’ll identify the most influential events related to my decision to major in Economics-Accounting and minor in Art History.

My Mom (Not an event, but my mom is always an exception!)

My mom and I visiting the Huntington Library in Pasadena.

My mother has always supported my education, and she has never tried to limit my freedom to choose an academic path. That being said, I was raised in a very money-conscious household, and I am expected to be financially secure and contribute to my family’s income after graduation. Entering the business world is definitely not the only way to make a living, but it is the path that is most familiar to me. My mother has worked as a payroll accountant at a large company for years, and one of my most vivid memories from middle school is of helping her alphabetize timesheets when she brought her work home with her. She also taught me how to balance a checkbook in third grade and brought me into the local Bank of America branch to learn the difference between checking accounts, savings, and certificates of deposit when I was thirteen. This practical upbringing, combined with my family’s expectations of financial independence, is the main reason I gravitated towards economics-accounting when I first came to Scripps.

AP Art History

A slide from my presentation. Delaunay painted work in series, returning to certain styles or symbols time and time again.

I took this course as a high school senior. After presenting in class on how Robert Delaunay’s personal experiences with war, traveling, and love corresponded with recurring images in his art, I knew I’d found a passion. For those of you who have never taken an art history course, it’s like learning about historical society, politics, religion, and economics, all through pictures, because each artwork’s style, iconography, and context tells a story.

Writing 50, Regulating the Emerging Art Finance Industry

This research paper (you can read it here) lit a fire under me; it has driven every decision I make regarding coursework, internships, and study abroad. Art investment is an exciting, new field at the intersection of art and business; my research helped me discover this professional niche, which incorporates my two strongest interests. My primary career goal is to help individuals manage their investments, with an emphasis on exploring art as an alternative asset class.

Core II: Economics of Gender and Choice

This course was team-taught by Professors Nancy Macko and Sean Flynn. We talked about gender constructions in the workplace and achieving a sense of equity in relationships. The main point I took away is the importance of balancing one’s financial and emotional needs. I don’t want to pursue a one-dimensional career purely in art or purely in business; through my final decision, I know I am being both practical and passionate.

Internship at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery

This summer was so passionately satisfying. To hear about what I did and what I learned, read here.

Boston University London Internship Program-Spring 2014

Okay, okay, I haven’t exactly left yet, but I’m bouncing on my toes!

I hope hearing about my experience helps you consider your own personal, academic, and professional context as you commit to a course of study. What courses, projects, or work experiences have you enjoyed so far? What pressures are you under, and how flexible are they? What makes you happy? If your only answer right now is “helping people”, be more specific. Do you want to help them attend college, manage their wealth, express themselves, or develop? Why? What kind of people–children, students, adults, or seniors?

Other sources to consult:

  1. Academic Adviser
  2. Juniors and seniors in your prospective major. Don’t know anyone personally? Ask your professor to put you in touch. It’s not awkward unless you make it awkward!
  3. CP&R- Set up an appointment with a Career Counselor or visit their library. There are titles like What Can You Do with a Major in ___? You may also want to take a personality test/career indicator, if you haven’t done so already.
  4. Peer Mentors/RA’s-Last week they sponsored an event called “Classes, Concerns, and Cookies”. They’ll have templates to outline courses and food. If you couldn’t make it, make your own template by drawing a 4×3 table on a sheet of paper: one row for each year; one column each for fall, spring, and summer. (Type A tip: write each class or internship/fellowship opportunity on a small post-it note and mark major/minor requirements with certain colors. You’ll be able to rearrange and visualize your future plans easily)
  5. Registrar- If your academic adviser can’t answer your questions, make an appointment with the Registrar’s office to count up all of your credits and make sure you can graduate on time.

How I Picked My Major (And Got Excited About Thesis)

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I am a junior majoring in Gender and Women’s studies, but when I first came to Scripps, the GWS major was not even on my radar. Even during my first semester, when I was still extremely undecided, I had two new friend/mentors (both class of 2012 and no longer on campus) who told me that I should look into the GWS major because it seemed like a really good fit for me. I listened to their advice and that is a large part of what got me to where I am today, but not everyone has older friends who can advise them that way, and I certainly didn’t pick my major on their recommendations alone. I had a system. And so, I bring to you today my 5 steps to picking a major that will (most likely) be the right one for you.

  1. Make a list (written or mental) of departments and majors you think you are interested in.
  2. Add to that list any other major that others have suggested might be a good fit for you (these can be peers, mentors, family – but probably shouldn’t include that major that your parents or guardians wished you would do but honestly have no interest in.)
  3. Look at the department pages (found on the Scripps website under Academics -> Departments and Courses of Study, or click here) and actually read what the department has to say about itself. Their goals as a department might give you a new understanding of what the major is about.
  4. [THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP] Read through the major requirements and truly imagine yourself taking all of those classes. If a lot of them are electives (as in my GWS major), look at the kind of courses that can fulfill those and pick a few as if you were setting up your schedule. If half of the classes sound boring to you, it might not be the right major.
  5. If you’re still having trouble narrowing down the list, you could start playing around with combinations of dual or double majors, or majors and minors that would still enable you to study what you love. This is where those semester-by-semester plans are key. You might realize that you can only pull off the double major you want by starting the very next semester, or you might have a little more wiggle room.

Here is a key point to picking your major (at least with my method): if you think it is going to be boring or make you miserable, you should probably look for something else, because that disinterest is going to show in your work for your classes, and you are not going to want to do a thesis in that subject. While senior thesis can seem really far away and indistinct to a first year student, it doesn’t hurt to think ahead in a general sense. Senior thesis is going to be a lot of work, but it should to some degree, be something you’re excited about- I know I am! But that’s because I found a major that I really loved.

If you picked your major with a different method, tell me about it! Did you ever try something like this? And can someone please tell me that I am not the only person excited about doing thesis?