Know your interests, know your major

By Rene Jimenez
Pulse Staff Reporter

Choosing a major can be difficult, especially when you have no clue what to pick.

“I don’t have a major because it’s hard for me to choose, and I don’t know what I want,” said sophomore Abel De La Rosa.

Palo Alto College counselors and the Center for Academic Transitions are helping students choose the right major so that they may have a career that is suitable for them.

There are between “15,000 to 20,000 majors from which students can choose,” said Dr. Daniel Rodriguez, counselor.

“What we do is eliminate the majors the students are not interested in, so it could lead them to better decision-making.”

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What the counselors do is sit down with students to determine personal interests so that a major can be selected.

Then, they show students a degree plan of what courses to take in order to get that degree.

First-time students attending Palo Alto College will need to take a test to determine their academic level.

The counselors will look at a student’s test scores to see if any developmental courses are needed before entering college-level courses.

Students will also need to take Strategies for Student Success class (SDEV 0170) with a counselor.

This course helps students develop a game plan.

The Center for Academic Transitions (CAT), which is located in the student center, also has a free test called the Career Dimension that you may take in order to figure out your major.

“It’s a career interest inventory that students take that asks questions about your skills, ability, values and personality,” said Nora Esparza, education support specialist in the CAT.

After you take the Career Dimensions test, it matches you with occupations that you might be interested in.

The test is available online 24 hours, seven days a week, and it’s free. It not only gives you multiple occupations and majors to choose from, but it also offers institutions all over the country with those majors.

Career Dimensions also lets students know if there is a high demand for those occupations.

They also give students information on the pay, how many years of training are needed and what kind of skills are involved.

The CAT can also help you look at the universities’ and colleges’ degree plans so you can decide what classes you need to take to get your bachelor’s degree.

They can also help you write a resume and give you training on interviews for those careers or jobs. It is better to do it now before you graduate.

To take the Career Dimensions test go to,http://www.careerdimension.com/register/paloaltocollege.cfm, or ask for Esparza at the CAT, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.