1. Uncovering the Myths About Majors and Careers

2. AGENDA ICEBREAKER MYTH AND FACT ACTIVITY
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNSHIPS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS
STUDENT PROFILES
UC RESOURCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES STUDENTS

3. Let us go back in time

4. At the age of 18, you were…
Turn to your neighbor and ask them the following questions:
At age 18, where were you in the career decision making process?
What resources did you look for to help you with that process.
Ask them to discuss the question with the person next to them. After 5 minutes, ask for volunteers and have them share their story out loud with the group. Identify patterns to highlight that support the fact that
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans have around 11 jobs before reaching retirement age. Therefore, most of us are very much in the exploratory phase of our career development at the age of 18. What we “think” we want to do at age 18 is not always what we end up doing as a career.

5. You are one of the most important sources of career information for your students

7. Fact or Myth # 1
A degree in biology, chemistry, or another science is your student’s only preparation for medical school.

8. Fact or myth # 2
Making a decision on a major as soon as possible helps students focus on studies and makes their college experience more satisfying.

9. Fact or myth # 3
Specific training and experience in one’s chosen field are the most important variable in finding a job after graduation.

10. Fact or myth # 4
Internships are a great way to gain real world experience and often lead to job offers.

11. Fact

12. Skill development and professional training
We all know the value of internships…
Skill development and professional training
“Real world” experience and a chance to apply skills and knowledge learned in the classroom
An opportunity to “test drive” a career
Mentoring and networking opportunities

13. Keep in mind…
Employers are often more concerned about the SKILLS than the specific major
Companies are willing to train newly graduated college students in any major for specific jobs (e.g. Rotational Programs)
Some companies or organizations might be looking for specific skills, experience and abilities.

14. Connecting Major and Jobs
Many people end up working in careers that are not directly related to their majors. Why?
Most jobs are NOT major specific or will consider any major
People’s interest change as they develop
People want to study one thing but work in a different area
Most majors are theoretical
Most majors teach very transferrable skills
Additional experiences paved their career paths

15. Selecting a major is important
Freshmen students can be undecided but transfer students must select a major for many of the UC campuses
Selective/Impacted Majors
What’s the Best Fit
Alternative Majors
Time to Degree
Limited Options to Change Majors

16. Encourage students to gain skills and experience
What is experience?
Campus clubs/organizations
Internships
Work Experience
Volunteer
Research
Leadership Roles
Projects
Through experiences, students can gain valuable insights and develop skills…as I mentioned with the “Top 10.”
It is your experience that can make you marketable for the job market and demonstrate your interest in the chosen field for graduate school

17. Let us look at examples of students major to career path
Let us see some examples of UCI student profiles

18. Monica knew since a young age she wanted to be a journalist/writer
Monica knew since a young age she wanted to be a journalist/writer. She sought opportunities to build her experience. Many of these were unpaid internships or volunteer positions
Student Resource Assistant – Campus Department – Administrative work
Copy Editor/Staff Writer –for the New University (school paper)
Freelance Writer – for magazines, local news paper, and online forums and blogs
Public Relations, Marketing & Editorial Intern – Non Profit
Staff Reporter & Editorial Assistant – large weekly newspaper
She initially applied for this position and did not hear back for almost a month and a half. She had lost hope that she would get this position. She happen to tell a close friend that she had applied for this position but had not heard back and her friends father happen to know the person hiring. The friends dad put in a good word for Monica and she got a call back, went to test drive the position for two weeks and after the trial period got the job offer.
STRONG PREPARATION + NETWORKING

19. Tucker thought he wanted to go to law school and maybe get into politics but changed his mind his sophomore year in college after revaluating his interests and skills. He became very proactive in researching industries and gaining exposure to the ones he was interested in through internships and informational interviews.
Server/Trainer – Had this job all throughout college. He gained a lot of transferable skills
Orange County Political Party – This internship helped him explore his interest in law and politics and although he liked it he realized it was not the career he wanted to pursue
President for a UCI Housing Community – Was active on campus and took on a leadership role to further develop his skill set
Intern at A boutique consulting firm – He proactively sought out this internship to get experience in the consulting industry. He send out a resume and cover letter to the CEO of the firm and he was very impressed and got an offer
Intern at a big consulting firm – after his summer internship in this big consulting firm he Got full time job offer as a Business Technology Analyst

20. SIRIA Banking Director for Educational Program Program Assistant for
Intern with
Stock
Brokerage
& Securities
Firm
Director for
Educational
Program
Intern w/
Non-Profit
Organization
through UC
Washington DC
Program
When Siria graduated HS, she thought she would work in investment banking and would someday end up working on Wall Street
She changed her major once, from Economics to Rhetoric and Communication.  She struggled with some of the coursework in Economics, but after her first internship she realized that the reason she was struggling was because she wasn’t passionate about the topics, what she was studying in her classes or the work she thought she would do once she was done with college.  Once she changed her major she was much happier and actually enjoying what she was learning. Siria worked on campus and also at Wells Fargo Bank.  In addition, she completed an internship at Dean Witter Reynolds in downtown Sacramento and that is when she discovered she did not like code calling and people hanging up on her in order to get new clients for the firm. Her second internship was through the UC Davis Washington Program with The ASPIRA Association. ASPIRA works at the grass-roots level to provide programs that encourage Hispanic students to stay in school, prepare them to succeed in the educational arena, develop their leadership skills, and to serve their community. This is what Siria shared regarding her experience in the Washington DC program:
Participating in the Washington program was a life altering experience for me. My internship introduced me to public policy for the first time, since I reported directly to the Vice President, Public Policy and Federal Relations.  I was in charge of researching some of the educational and health disparities among the Latino community. I would prepare reports that the VP would then use to lobby at Capitol Hill or for media interviews. I even had the opportunity to attend a few meetings with her on Capitol Hill and that was my first introduction to the educational disparities among communities of color and how decisions were made at a national level.   While in DC I also took classes and this was the first time that a professor had encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree, which I eventually did and recently earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education.
Siria says:
I’ve been fortunate to have several career positions that have brought me to where I am today. My first position out of college was as a Program Assistant with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund in San Francisco. I was only there a few months and then secured a position at the University of Southern California (USC) as Assistant Director of International Admissions and later as Associate Director of Academic Affairs with the Computer Science Department at USC.  I spent about 7 years at USC and I eventually made the move to UC Riverside as their new Graduate Student Affairs Manager for Bourns College of Engineering.  Unfortunately, I was laid off during the economic crisis, but I wasn’t without work for long because I was soon hired by Palomar College in North County San Diego as the HSI/Title V Project Supervisor and eventually I decided that I wanted to move closer to family, so I accepted my current position at UC Davis as the McNair Scholars Program Director.  I now work with first-generation, low-income and/or underrepresented students who are interested in undergraduate research and want to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in their respective fields.  I am passionate about the work that I do and I am glad to be doing it at my alma mater where it all started for me.
Program
Assistant for
Scholarship
Fund
SIRIA
B.A. In Rhetoric & Communication

21. NANCY Nutrition Biology Major Medical Student
Volunteer at
Student-Run
Medical
Clinic
Medical
Student
Participant in
Biology Scholars
Program
Nutrition Biology– believed nutrition is key to maintaining good health. Considered changing major to biology because she thought that’s what you had to do to pursue medical school
Volunteer at Student-Run clinic– Clínica Tepati reinforced passion for working with underserved communities to help bridge language and cultural barriers
Biology Scholars Program– Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP), a program aimed at exposing underrepresented student to research
Undergraduate Researcher– Conducted research at UC Davis Medical Center and UC Davis Foods for Health Institute and as a CURE Summer Fellow at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
Medical Student – Currently student at UC Davis School of Medicine
Undergraduate
Researcher
NANCY
B.S. In Nutrition Biology

22. Action is required at every stage
Identify Job Titles
Look into the Occupational Outlook Handbook for thousands of job titles and information on education required, job outlook and a job description.
Conduct Informational Interviews
Find professionals working in careers or organizations that interest you and gain a better understanding of the career or industry.
Job Shadowing
Once you have identified a professional who is willing to talk to you about his or her career, ask if you may “shadow” them to gain a sense of what a typical work day is like.

23. Career center recommendations
1st year
Resume, Campus Involvement and Major
Exploration
2nd year
Networking and Interview Skills
3rd year
Career Fairs, Internships and Graduate School
Planning
4th/5th year
Career Fairs and On-Campus Interview Program

24. What resources are available to UC undergraduate students?

25. All UC campuses have a career center
Counseling
Networking/online
Career
Planning/assessments
Employer Panels & Networking
Skill Building Workshops
Career Fairs
Graduate School Planning
On-Campus Interviews
Resume/Interview
Preparation
Online Job & Internships Resources
Graduate school information:
Graduate/Professional Schools
Law schools/business schools accept any major
Med School: The second most popular major for med students is English
Masters and PhD programs are looking for you to meet prerequisites and demonstrate the following:
Evidence that you can do well in the program and that you will be able to handle the rigorous work
Interest in the program
A good personal statement
Reference letters that can attest to your ability and preparedness for graduate school
Good graduate test scores and undergraduate grade point average

26. UC Career Centers Websites
Campus
Name
website
UC Berkeley
Career Center
UC Davis
Internship and Career Center
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles
UC Merced
Center for Career & Professional Advancement
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
Career Services Center
UC Santa Barbara
UCSB Career Services
UC Santa Cruz

27. Additional Resources Career Advice Videos
Career Guide
Career Map
Exploring your major

28. Special thanks to the committee that worked on this presentation
Allison Keller-Career Counselor, University of California Irvine
Brian O’Bruba-Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life & Director, Center for Career & Professional Advancement, University of California, Merced
Ebony Lewis-Associate Director of Admissions, Staff Advisory Board, University of California Santa Cruz
Frank Ramirez-M.Ed, Assistant Director for Counseling & Career, Development, UCR
Nancy Alderete-Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions UC Davis – Southern California Region
Luis Esparza-Program Coordinator, UC Davis Internship and Career Center
Monica Ballón-Kalinowski-Career Counselor, Coordinator, Life & Physical Sciences, Pre-Health Career Services, UCSB
Pamela Blanco-Transfer Opportunity Program Coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions, University of California, Davis
Patricia Garcia-M.S. Assistant Director/Transfer Service Coordinator, UCLA Undergraduate Admission
Sheryl Blackshire-Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions UC Davis, Southern California Region -

29. Thank you