In honor of Use Your Common Sense Day, I thought I would take a few moments to discuss how common sense plays a critical role in career decision-making. First, consider your academic performance in your major. Are you making an A in most of your classes? If not, what could you do to improve your performance? If you spend an adequate amount of time studying and take advantage of academic support resources, yet you still aren’t making the grade, perhaps a change of major would yield better results. A strong grade point average is important for keeping graduate/professional school and employment options open.
Next, consider if you are truly enjoying your major classes. If not, what is your rationale for being in your major? If you do not enjoy your major, there is a risk that you will not like your career, either. People who enjoy their work often demonstrate more motivation and initiative. Consequently, they may experience more success than their colleagues who do not enjoy their work.
Finally, do you have work experience related to your career goal? If not, you might experience difficulty in your job search or graduate school application process. Depending on your area of interest, internships, part-time employment, summer jobs, volunteer opportunities, and shadowing could be methods for opening up more opportunities in your future.
The staff of Career and Professional Development are happy to help you explore your options and find relevant experience. Review the information on our website to determine which of our services could be most useful to you.
