Do you remember back in the days when you were in your diaper and nothing really mattered? What school you went to was irrelevant and what job you’ll have in the future was too far in advance to think about. Those were the good old days. Unfortunately, reality does have to catch up with us eventually, which is why we are rushing to decide what career we should get into. This blog is going to be a short and brief outline and suggestions people can do when they are stuck in a similar situation.
First take advantage of the resources your school has to offer. One good way to start out is taking a career assessment such as the Focus 2. This can be found after logging into your Callisto account here: https://berkeley-csm.symplicity.com/students/ . Figure out what skills are important to you and what you enjoy doing. Trust me; it is not fun to get into a career just for your parent’s desire. Of course it feels good to make your parents proud, but in the long run, you will end up unsatisfied and losing control of your life. Keep in mind, your parents will support most of what you want to do - just as long as you are bringing home some amount of money and thank them for all their support. So to summarize this point, take a career assessment to give you some career field ideas based on your true interests.
Another great way of deciding on a career is by talking to people. There are so many careers out there that rarely come to mind when you are thinking of career paths. Say you're interested in engineering. This is a really broad career field, but the great thing about this field is that there are other specialized areas you can focus on. Say you don't like to do computer applications, but you do have an interest in bridges. You might want to consider talking to a civil engineer. An amazing resource that many Cal students are unaware of is our access to the @Cal Career Network. This is a network of tens of thousands of Cal grads who have indicated an interest in talking to current students about their career paths. To find a Cal grad in the major, field, company and/or geographic location, start here: https://career.berkeley.edu/CarNet/CarNet.stm
The third suggestion I have is to go to the career center. They are trained counselors that can help you narrow down your career focus and remind you of your options. Just talking to someone about your interests can open up your own mind in terms of where you want to go. You can also do this with a friend or even your parents. Sometimes the most hard-headed things for you to think about is much simpler if someone is there for you to bounce ideas and comments off of.
And for some final thoughts, try to seek internships that are relevant t to your major. You are spending thousands of dollars in college, and you really do want to make sure you are studying and gaining skills along the way. Of course your career job doesn't have to be 100% connected with your major. I know friends that were psychology majors but ended up in the business related jobs. However, these people who do decide to go on another path figured this out along their exploration. Exploration is basically what your college years are about. It is important to get yourself out there. The ones that get the jobs are the ones seeking for them in the first place. Take action and forget that you're an introvert or shy. Employers, interviewers, etc. don't know who you are, so put yourself out there to make a good impression. If you put in the effort, results will follow.
Post by Kelly Law, 3rd Year Psychology Major
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