If you’re not sure what major to enroll in at Wilkes, join the club! Or more appropriately, The Office of Academic Success —where nearly 20 percent of Wilkes students begin their academic journeys.
The Office of Academic Success is a home for students who begin college as “undeclared” majors. Here, an advisor who is knowledgeable about all the majors at Wilkes will personally help guide you to your decision and will keep you on track to graduate in four years. You’ll also have the opportunity to complete a career decision-making course. We know this choice can be intimidating, but remember: 60 percent of college graduates never work in the field they major in, and most students change their major at least once.
Because of the intimate atmosphere at Wilkes, you’ll always receive the personal attention you need to make informed major and career decisions. We won’t make the decision for you, but we’ll be here to help you along your path. You’re not required to declare a major until prior to the first semester of your junior year. At Wilkes, we’re happy to work side by side with you to develop an individualized study program, and customize a major that uniquely fits your interests and goals.
Career Study Plan
Employers are often very interested in candidates who present broad interests and varied experiences. Our three-step Career Study Plan will show you a systematic, rational approach to your career path.
to college and to help begin the process of identifying major field and career opportunities.
During CAR 101 you will develop a Career Study Plan which will help you plan your
college career and beyond. Your work on the Career Study Plan will bring you increased
self understanding, a better sense of career opportunities that might interest you
while you develop an academic course plan which you and your advisor will use as a
guide to your course selection in the semesters to come.
Your experiences in and out of the classroom at Wilkes will forever influence the
choices you make in all aspects of your life. So you can take best advantage of the
opportunities available, we will spend time exploring curriculum and extracurricular
possibilities at Wilkes.
CAR 101. LIFE/CAREER PLANNING
ONE CREDIT
A study of the components of career decision-making, including the influence of personal
goals, values, interests, and perceived skills. The practical application of theory
results in a portfolio of information essential to deliberate and effective decision-making.
These tips should help you avoid some.
Narrow options to make a decision.
While narrowing your options is an absolute necessity, there are some things you need
to do first. If you are still in high school, or newly graduated, you should expand
your options to ensure a good decision. Otherwise, you use a process of decision-making
called, "satisficing." This term, coined by psychologist Herbert Simon, refers to
the process we use when we stop developing options once we discover one that meets
our MINIMUM criteria. Can you predict the result of such a decision-making process
when applied to major decisions we make over many years? We become minimally satisfied
with where we are.
Instead, use a process called "maximizing." Before narrowing your options to make
a decision, be sure you generate a growing list of careers that meet your minimum
criteria. Use interest inventories available on the Web, or plain old paper and pencil,
with the help of a career counselor. At Wilkes, we offer a career course and advisors
to help you with this process.
Listen to everything you are told.
As a child, you may have been led to believe most things adults told you. That was
probably for your own protection, but now, the advice is no longer current. For every
negative story you hear from someone in a particular career, you will find another
that is very positive. In other words, for every person who tells you, "Don't become
a teacher because I hate it," you will find another who will tell you how much he
or she loves working with children. It is all relative. Should you ignore the advice
of others? No. These vignettes can be useful, but you must be aware that the experiences
of one person should not be the final factor about a decision that is so important.
Develop only skills you enjoy.
Somewhere in time, many young people lost the enjoyment of trying new skills. So when
it comes time to decide on potential careers, they have poor knowledge of their skills.
Some skills take time to develop, but so many people try for a short time and then,
if they do not reach perfection, they give up. The stories of many high achievers
in all fields is crowded with examples of people who failed one, two, three, or even
four times.
You don't have to be perfect. Give yourself a break. Try new things and fail. If you
enjoy them, keep trying. How else will you discover your potential skills?
Concentrate primarily on classes that relate to your potential major because they
are more important.
Among the most common mistakes. In the field of career decision-making, there are
so many examples of people who reap the rewards of a strong general education that
some call it a rule. The common courses that Wilkes and other universities develop
for their students are often the foundations for an opportunity that students never
considered.
Your major subjects give you the background and credentials necessary for entry into
many professions, but it is your "liberal" education that will get you the promotions
and make you a major contributor in those professions. Ask any high achiever.
Most college students have made their career decisions.
Many undeclared students believe they are the only lonely, indecisive people who just
can't make up their minds. From Wilkes' perspective, the undeclared major represents
one of the fastest-growing academic programs in higher education.
Undeclared majors are among the top three, and more often first, of the academic programs
selected at the Wilkes University orientation. When we add the number of students
who change majors during their first year in college, the numbers of students who
express uncertainty about choosing a major greatly increases.
Making a career decision is simple: Choose the career that consists of the activities
you most enjoy.
We continually develop new interests, especially as a result of going to college.
Although most of us received the street advice to simply choose a career that would
be "enjoyable," few jobs are actually "fun."
A more helpful description of the activities associated with careers is "rewarding."
Most people who would choose their same careers again would do so because they receive
a high level of satisfaction from the challenges and demands they face.
One career is "right" for me; I just have to find it.
There is no evidence of this. Many careers will meet your minimum criteria. Thousands
of careers are recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, which means there are many
you have not considered yet.
If you keep going to school, your career decision will become evident.
While continuing your education is a good decision, it alone will not make the decision
clear. You have to devote time to develop a plan for such a critical decision. Here
at Wilkes, we teach undeclared students how to develop a plan and we make the time
for careful decision-making.