Career Connections Newsletter • November 2007
Career Topic of the Month: Choosing a Major
Career Resource of the Month: FOCUS
Spotlight on Success: SNC Alumni Profile
Career Tip of the Month: College Catalog
Internship of the Month
Upcoming Events
Career Topic of the Month: Choosing a Major
What is your major? Does this question sound familiar? Every college student will hear this question at some point (or multiple times) throughout their college career. If you are uncertain about your major, you are certainly not alone. Research has shown that up to 80% of students entering college are unsure of what to major in and up to 50% of college students will change their major at least once before graduation.
5 Signs You May Want to Change Your Major
(Source: Peter Vogt, MonsterTRAK Career Coach)
- You’re bored to tears in your major courses.
- You chose your current major without much thought.
- You’re doing poorly in your major courses.
- You keep reading and researching other majors.
- You just don’t feel right about your current major!
If any of the above sound familiar, or if you are just undecided about what you want to major, read on to learn more about making the major decision.
Step 1: Self Assessment
- When choosing a major it is essential to take into consideration your interests, values and skills. Without finding a major that fulfills all three, you will most likely end up back at square one and need to once again find a different major. Do you really want to major in something that you are not interested in or that you are not good at? Probably not!
- The Career Services office offers a variety of
self assessment inventories to assist you in identifying your interests, values and skills.
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- Online Resources:
FOCUS (keycode: greenknights),
MyMajors.com. You are encouraged to schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor to review your results from these assessments.
- Additional Resources: Strong Interest Inventory (Interest assessment), Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Personality type assessment). You must first schedule an appointment with a
Career Counselor before you are able to take either of these assessments.
- College is also a great time to explore new areas in order to learn more about yourself. Consider
studying abroad,
joining a new organization,
volunteering or
taking a class outside of your comfort zone. All of these activities can help you learn more about yourself and the process of identifying your personal interests, values and skills.
Step 2: Career Awareness
- Once you have conducted your self assessment, the next step is to learn about the connection between various majors you are interested in and careers.
- The Career Services office offers many resources to assist in connecting majors to careers:
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Alumni Profiles: Learn about successful SNC alumni and envision what you can do with a SNC degree.
Step 3: Career Exploration
- It is now time to learn as much as possible about the career fields you are interested in pursuing.
- The Career Services office offers a variety of resources to assist you in conducting career research:
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Career Services is available to help you with every step of the process in choosing a major. Please contact
Career Services to schedule an appointment to discuss any or all of the above process. Remember, you did not get to this point in your life overnight, therefore choosing a major will not happen overnight either! Good Luck!
Career Resource of the Month: FOCUS
Having trouble deciding on a major? Unclear about what occupations to consider with your college major? Are others offering you career advice that doesn't seem to fit? Unsure about which career path to pursue after college? Looking for information about a particular occupation? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you would be well advised to check out
FOCUS.
FOCUS is an online assessment that will help you develop a good understanding of how your interests, values, skills, educational preferences and personality relate to one another, and how they get tied together into the world of work. With FOCUS you will:
- Analyze your career planning status.
- Assess your interests, skills, work values, personality and preferences.
- Discover and explore occupations, career paths and education programs compatible with your personal attributes.
- Map out your career and educational goals, action plans, personal development and training needs.
To use FOCUS, you must first create a personal account (keycode: greenknights). We encourage you to
schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor after taking FOCUS to discuss your results and learn about the many ways Career Services can assist you.
Spotlight on Success: SNC Alumni Profile
Ann Hillman, Religious Studies and Peace and Justice, 2004
Youth Ministry Coordinator, St. Giles Catholic Church, Oak Park, Illinois
Click here to learn about the work experience and career path of this successful SNC alum.
Check out our growing list of
Alumni Profiles to learn more about their career paths, experience and to envision what you can do with a degree from St. Norbert College.
Career Tip of the Month: College Catalog
The College Catalog can be a very useful tool in the process of choosing a major. As stated in the above article on Choosing a Major, if you're bored to tears in your classes, then you may want to change your major. When evaluating possible majors to determine if they are a good fit for you, don't forget to research the major requirements and to read the descriptions for the required coursework. Remember, if these courses do not sound interesting to you, it is probably a good indication that you will not enjoy the major and therefore will not find fulfillment in the careers associated with the major. The
College Catalog is available in its entirety online. Questions regarding degree requirements, academic policies and procedures should be directed to your
Academic Advisor.
Internship of the Month: Student Intern / Legal
Why intern? Internships are a great opportunity to apply classroom theory to real life work and to acquire experience to make yourself more marketable for future employment. It can also be one way to "test" your chosen career area to determine if it is a good fit for you.
Student Intern / Legal,
Brown County Corporation Counsel, Green Bay
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Description: Attorneys with the Brow County Corporation Counsel office are seeking a student for an unpaid internship in the areas of Children In Need of Protection and Services (CHIPS) and Juvenile Guardianship cases. Attorneys act as legal counsel for the Brown County Human Services Department in these matters. The student will have the ability to attend court proceedings with the attorneys and to personally observe juvenile cases. The student will learn about the judicial system and the various roles different professionals play in juvenile cases. The student will also assist the attorneys in maintaining legal files (including copying and filing), monitoring discovery materials, and contributing to other various tasks.
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Qualifications: This is an excellent opportunity for a student who may be interested in pursuing a legal career. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a genuine interest in the legal field, excellent verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail, and an absolute respect for confidentiality given the closed nature of juvenile court cases and proceedings.
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Contact: If you are interested in this unique internship opportunity, please submit a cover letter, resume, and two references to Attorney Kay L. Handrick & Attorney Julie M. DuQuaine, Brown County Assistant Corporation Counsel, 305 E. Walnut St., Northern Building, Room 680, Green Bay, WI, 54301.
For more information on this internship and to search for additional internships, please login to
Career Connections.
Upcoming Events
To register for an event or workshop, login to
Career Connections and click on Career Events.
Click here for the complete Fall 2007 Calendar of Events.
Choosing Your Major
Thursday, November 1, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Cofrin 208
Developing Your Job Search Strategy
Wednesday, November 7, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Cofrin 208
Job Search for International Students
Wednesday, November 14, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Bemis 114 A/B
It's Not Too Late! Job Search Workshop for Seniors
Tuesday, November 27, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Cofrin 15
Dinner Will Be Provided!
