For a lot of you, this week begins the first round of tests.  These test weeks can be tough, so here’s a little encouragement. Remember, we’re all in this together!

Yes, it is that time of year.  A time to give thanks and gather together with those who are special in our lives.  Perhaps some of the people you see during Thanksgiving, you don’t get to see at other times throughout the year.  What better time than a family gathering, to ask those you know about their career background?  If you have friends or family who work in areas you are considering as a major or career path, they may be just the people to visit with and give you insight about making this very important decision.

If you can’t think of anyone who is currently involved in the career path you are contemplating, perhaps they have friends or colleagues who work in those areas.  Thanksgiving can be a great time of networking!  These conversations may pave the way for job shadows, information interviews, and maybe even internships.  Also, your friends and family will be interested in hearing about your time in college and what your plans are.  They may even bring up the conversation themselves!

Enjoy your break and take this time to rest, so you can return to campus ready to finish the semester strong!

This weekend is Baylor’s Parent and Family Weekend.  Sharing your Baylor experience with loved ones can bring great joy, but some students are dreading the “Major Talk.”  They are bracing themselves for the inevitable questions, “What are you going to major in?”, “What are you going to do with that major?”, “How are your classes going?”.  If these questions bring you more anxiety than excitement, keep reading.

One of the best ways to prepare for the “Major Talk” is to do your research.  First, have you been working with a career counselor on your major and career decisions?  If not, visit our website to make an appointment.  Letting your parents know that you are seeking professional assistance helps them to see that you are serious about making a wise decision.  You can also let them know that you plan to take initiative by talking with professors at the University-Wide Majors Fair next week.

Another excellent way to prepare for the “Major Talk” is to have facts in hand.  Use the resources on the Career Counseling website to help you explore career possibilities with the majors that interest you.  Additionally, use sites like O*NET OnLine and Occupational Outlook Handbook to research salaries and job growth projections BEFORE your family members ask you about it.  Of course, this is good information for you to know, too!

Finally, if you are really nervous, consider role-playing your “Major Talk” with your career counselor or a trusted friend.  Practicing what you are going to say can boost your confidence and help the conversation go as smoothly as possible.  Best wishes, and let us know how the conversation goes!

Can you believe that we are a month into the spring semester already?  Taking a glance at your planner and noticing several upcoming tests and papers will certainly remind you that we are in the thick of things.  Though the focus of this blog is career and major exploration, we would be foolish to ignore the fact that low grades will significantly limit the career and academic options that you can choose from.  Hectic schedules and daydreams of Spring Break can interfere with plans to study.  If you have noticed yourself becoming distracted when you really need to focus, check out this article full of tips from the fine folks of Academic Support Programs.

If you think your trouble focusing could be due to a lack of motivation or interest in your current major, consider going through the Career Counseling process to explore your alternatives.

Students who enjoy teaching others about a subject and also enjoy the act of learning in itself might find a career as a professor particularly interesting.  Professors teach every subject you can imagine, and they are found at many types of educational institutions.  Professors serve students at two-year institutions (i.e., community colleges), four-year institutions, and research universities.  Professors are distinguished by rank.  Full-time, tenure-track faculty are expected to conduct research and publish their findings, in addition to teaching courses.  They usually hold the title of Assistant Professor.  After a number of years, tenure-track faculty are evaluated based upon their publications, teaching, and professional/community involvement.  If granted tenure (a permanent teaching position), the faculty member usually holds the title of  Associate Professor or Professor.  Tenure-track positions typically require the faculty member to possess a Ph.D. in the subject that they wish to teach.

Similar, yet different, are the roles of instructors and lecturers.  Traditionally, instructors and lecturers focus primarily on teaching, without the expectations of conducting research and publishing.  Often, these are not permanent positions.  They can be full-time or part-time positions.  A Ph.D is not always required, but it is sometimes preferred, particularly when there are more qualified applicants than there are available positions.

If you would like to learn more about this flexible and meaningful career path, visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook.  It is also a good idea to talk with some of your favorite professors about their decisions to pursue a career in higher education.  They could help you to evaluate if it is a profession that you would like to pursue, too.

Additionally, students who participate in Career Counseling take the Strong Interest Inventory.  This assessment will allow you to see how similar your interests are to both university professors and college instructors.  Contact us if you would like to take advantage of this process.

Extra!  Extra!  The Career Counseling website has a new and exciting feature for those who would like to explore majors, occupations, and extracurricular activities that pertain to their interests, personality preferences, and values.  The Career Compass is designed to introduce students to the idea of examining career goals from multiple perspectives, in an effort to determine where these perspectives overlap.  The Career Compass is specifically for those with ties to Baylor, with an emphasis on majors and student organizations offered here.  It is not a substitute for individualized, professional career counseling.  Instead, we hope it will open your eyes to a few of the ideas that you might like to explore further through the Career Counseling process.  As always, please feel free to contact us if you have questions.

The first day of class was always a joyful thing for me.  I usually hadn’t had an assignment required of me prior to the class, so I could walk in eagerly expecting a rundown of the semester and plan to leave with a copy of the professor’s syllabus for the semester or at least where to find it electronically.

Now, I know it has been awhile since you walked into class that first day, but one of the things that I think can help the most regarding your newly acquired syllabi is to take some time to write down all of your assignments in a planner for each day.  These notations can include daily reading assignments, quizzes, exams, papers, projects, midterms, and finals.  I’ve always found combining your class assignments to be a very strategic move that will enable you to prep holistically for the semester.  If you plan ahead now, you might note that at the end of February you have three exams and a paper due over two days.  Knowing that now can help keep you from any surprises like flipping to that week in your calendar or on your smartphone and seeing it then.  The more you can plan ahead now will hopefully reduce the stress you experience later.  So take a minute, grab a cup of coffee, your stack of syllabi, and your calendar or electronic device, and spend some a little time inputting all of your assignments for the semester.  If you are involved in other student organizations, you might want to take a look at that semester calendar and add those events and meetings as well.  This way you will know ahead of time if that major Biology midterm happens to be the Monday after your Spring Formal, so you can plan ahead.  If you need additional help with time management and study strategies, please contact Trish Baum in Academic Support Programs.