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Deciding Your Major
-By Kimberley Seals
� What�s your Major?� That�s the question on everyone�s lips. As you begin your journey as a college student, choosing what field to major in is one of the most important and pressing issues. Copper Mountain College (CMC) counselor Tony Thomas is available to help students make their choice.
�Depending on their career choice, that�s the easiest way to make a decision [of a major] for students� stated Thomas
Some of the hot careers now, those with security and good salaries,� are in the science fields; biology and chemistry degrees are of interest to those looking for the trendy forensic �CSI� type of job,� Thomas continued.
CMC is a good place to start if you don�t have any idea which direction to head in. CMC offers a variety of associate or transfer degrees along with certificate programs in business, computer science and early childhood education, to name a few. But with so many career choices available how does a student decide?
CMC can help by having academic counselors like Thomas available to guide them through assessments to find out what they [the student] are interested in. When asked how he would help a student looking for a major, Thomas said, �First I would have them take a computerized career assessment test like Choices which is fun to take and gives a detailed printout showing areas of interest and strength.� Along with Choices, CMC also has CxBridges available which is similar in its results. If a choice cannot be made immediately then it is recommended to start on a general education path. Majors don�t have to be decided your first semester of college �you do have some time to think it through and explore your options to see what sparks your interest,� commented Thomas.
For those students who have narrowed their field down to one or two choices Thomas recommends job shadowing or a career fair.
�Career fairs give you the opportunity to talk with people in your chosen field and can help in the decision making process,� Thomas added.
If a student has chosen a career and major then changes their mind at a later date, CMC can help the student to transition to a new major. Though you would have to go through the required courses for a specific major, all of the general education requirements remain the same.
Choosing a career or a major isn�t a decision to be made lightly. It may take months, if not years, to retrain to do something else.
�It is best to be sure in the first place and that is why we [counselors] are available to help guide the students in making the right decision,� concluded Thomas.
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