A big part of going through college is trying to figure out what kind of career you want to pursue. It’s time to consider all of your options and determine what type of future you might want to have.  But how can you figure out what kinds of jobs are right for you?

What Major Interests You?

For those students that have absolutely no idea what kind of job they want to pursue, it can be very beneficial to take courses, particularly when fulfilling your gen eds, in a variety of disciplines. This can help you get a feel for what type of work you enjoy and some possible avenues for a career you’d like to pursue. For example, you may find that you really enjoy work in the science field more than the business field, and so you could take more courses in that to prepare yourself for a job in that sector.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that you don’t want to put yourself into a job in which you have no interest –  this could really destroy your motivation and happiness down the road. Once you’ve narrowed down some of your interests to specific majors you can begin to outline potential jobs that are available in that field.  There are also some online interest assessment websites that can help gauge which major fits you, and from there you can better assess what jobs are right for you.

A good one can be found on the website at Loyola University of Chicago.

Match the Interest to the Job

Now that you have an idea of what interests you, it’s time to do some research on the jobs available in your field of interest. The easiest way to do this is by searching online for the types of jobs available and hiring in that field. A particularly good website for outlining what kind of job types are suitable for each major is the University of California Berkley’s Career Center Website “Connecting Majors to Careers”..

From here you can see what line of work you can get from each major, as well as what level of education is required for that type of work. Additionally, asking professors on campus about what kinds of jobs are in their field can help you figure out what jobs you can get. They can even guide you on which jobs may suit your interests.

Research the Job Market

After figuring out what kinds of jobs are available in your field of interest, it’s important to see what the job outlook and availability is for that line of work. This can be done by searching on job-sharing websites such as LinkedIn or Indeed for available jobs in your area. These searches can help you to determine the demand for that particular kind of work, the salary ranges, and potential career advancement opportunities. After figuring out the prevalence of the jobs in your area, you can use this information to help guide your decision on what jobs you want to pursue.

It is important to keep an open mind when trying to figure out what career is right for you. You may really enjoy the kind of work that’s in a field you’ve never thought about. Explore different classes in college to get a feel for what truly interests you, and do your research into a variety of job options to determine what fits you.