Finding the right career fit takes time
Jill Borich
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: Opinion
The old saying "timing is everything" never made more sense to me than it has in the past few weeks.
Like most freshmen starting college, I had no clue what I wanted to do after college. What was I going to study? Where do I want to live? Would I meet new friends?
Those are just a few of the questions I asked myself when making the step towards higher education.
After enrolling in a private university in Tennessee, I registered myself as an undecided major. I still remember going to freshmen orientation and was asked the same three questions by everyone: Where are you from? What's your major? What do you plan to do with that degree? I dreaded answering the second and third questions because they were simple, but frustrating to answer with my indecision.
According to Dr. Fritz Grupe, president of mymajors.com, a Web site dedicated to helping students find a major, 80 percent of all high school students planning to attend college have no idea what to major in. Along with that, the average college student changes majors up to three times before graduating. Grand View enrolled 1,936 students this fall, with only 55 registered as undeclared.
Many students change their majors for a variety of reasons. Maybe they change colleges and lose credit along the way. Or maybe they lose interest and the subject area they thought they loved ended up being a total drag. For me, I had no clue what the best major was to suit my interests.
Recently I had the opportunity to do a "ride-along" with Officer Steve Harris of the Ottumwa Police Department. My heart was beating out of my chest as we rushed to our first call of the night shift. My hand had a slight tremble as I wrote down everything I was observing. It wasn't until that moment I received the affirmation needed. I was in the right major and career path. The excitement was overwhelming and nerve-racking at the same time.
My curiosity and thrill-seeking spirit is just a little bit of why I love being in the communication field. A wise professor once told me in reporting class if you aren't nosey, curious and outgoing you won't like this class.
Officer Harris is a prime example of what many young adults are going through at this important point in life. He graduated from Iowa State with a degree in biology and worked at USDA lab for three years before he realized it wasn't what made him happy in life. He then entered the police academy and got hired on Ottumwa PD where he found his true passion.
With seven weeks to go (but who's counting) before graduation, the timing could not have been more perfect for me to finally, confidently, answer those two dreaded questions I couldn't answer at freshmen orientation.
My major is public relations and minor is marketing. I am planning to use my degree to get a job where I can use my acquired skills from college, whether it be writing, producing, designing or selling for a business.
Like most freshmen starting college, I had no clue what I wanted to do after college. What was I going to study? Where do I want to live? Would I meet new friends?
Those are just a few of the questions I asked myself when making the step towards higher education.
After enrolling in a private university in Tennessee, I registered myself as an undecided major. I still remember going to freshmen orientation and was asked the same three questions by everyone: Where are you from? What's your major? What do you plan to do with that degree? I dreaded answering the second and third questions because they were simple, but frustrating to answer with my indecision.
According to Dr. Fritz Grupe, president of mymajors.com, a Web site dedicated to helping students find a major, 80 percent of all high school students planning to attend college have no idea what to major in. Along with that, the average college student changes majors up to three times before graduating. Grand View enrolled 1,936 students this fall, with only 55 registered as undeclared.
Many students change their majors for a variety of reasons. Maybe they change colleges and lose credit along the way. Or maybe they lose interest and the subject area they thought they loved ended up being a total drag. For me, I had no clue what the best major was to suit my interests.
Recently I had the opportunity to do a "ride-along" with Officer Steve Harris of the Ottumwa Police Department. My heart was beating out of my chest as we rushed to our first call of the night shift. My hand had a slight tremble as I wrote down everything I was observing. It wasn't until that moment I received the affirmation needed. I was in the right major and career path. The excitement was overwhelming and nerve-racking at the same time.
My curiosity and thrill-seeking spirit is just a little bit of why I love being in the communication field. A wise professor once told me in reporting class if you aren't nosey, curious and outgoing you won't like this class.
Officer Harris is a prime example of what many young adults are going through at this important point in life. He graduated from Iowa State with a degree in biology and worked at USDA lab for three years before he realized it wasn't what made him happy in life. He then entered the police academy and got hired on Ottumwa PD where he found his true passion.
With seven weeks to go (but who's counting) before graduation, the timing could not have been more perfect for me to finally, confidently, answer those two dreaded questions I couldn't answer at freshmen orientation.
My major is public relations and minor is marketing. I am planning to use my degree to get a job where I can use my acquired skills from college, whether it be writing, producing, designing or selling for a business.
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