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Do Majors = Jobs?

Two engineering students studying together at a whiteboard.

Photo: Dennis Wise

Think Skills

While some technical fields may be exceptions to this, most employers value attributes like leadership, written and verbal communication, and the ability to solve complex problems over an individual's undergraduate major. This can help relieve the pressure of feeling locked into something for the rest of your life and allow you to approach your major as a way of building these sought-after skills which lead to work experience.

Figuring Out What You Want to Do

But you still have to figure out what you might want to do, right? There are lots of ways to explore career options including asking yourself questions:

  • What are you most energized by?
  • What are you good at?
  • What do people who know you best – family and friends – think would be a good fit for you?
  • Take a quiz!
  • Explore by gaining experience. Is there an internship, part-time job, or volunteer work that would help you learn about an area of interest?

Plus there are experts here at UW – academic advisers and career counselors – who can help you identify effective strategies for figuring out what you want to do.

Ultimately, most people have a lot of flexibility to shape their career trajectory through a combination of their selected major and learning experiences outside the classroom.

Resources

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