There are numerous ways to make a college education stand out to
potential employers and graduate school admissions departments. It's no longer
just about a student's major. It's about how they package their entire college
experience to demonstrate their readiness for various occupations.
A
great way for students to showcase themselves is with well chosen minors and
certificate programs. They might even design their own major.
"Our
school and others are trying to get students to think less of a job and more
about a career," says Jim Turnquist, director of career services at Michigan
Technological University (MTU). "We try to get them to take into consideration
their personality, skills, values, interests -- everything." Students should
talk to their advisors and consult their school's career center. They have
aptitude tests and evaluations to uncover students' skills and interests.
With their assistance, students can choose the best combination of majors,
minors or other programs to boost their odds of finding a career that suits
them.
"When I started at [Michigan] Tech, I was in mechanical engineering,"
says Ryan LaBar, a fifth year senior at MTU. "It was something I always wanted
to be [in] since I was a kid, but I didn't realize what I was getting into.
I found out it wasn't for me. So I talked to the people at career services
and assessed my situation with them."
Together, they discussed LaBar's
personal goals, past situations and outside interests. He realized that he
needed a creative outlet in his education.
"Now I'm a major-minor,"
he says. "My major is scientific and technical communications, and my minor
is visual arts." His goal is to get a job as an art director at a magazine
that will allow him to write articles and design layouts.
Turnquist
says that there are almost endless ways students can combine majors and minors
to make themselves more appealing to future employers.
"If there was
such a thing as an electromechanical engineering bachelor's degree, companies
would love it. But according to the accreditation system, it's not possible,"
Turnquist says. "So some students get their bachelor's in mechanical engineering
and take a minor in the electrical areas as their technical electives. That
would be a strong consideration for corporations."
There is also the
option of a double major. "Most [companies] say it's fine, but it depends
on what the two majors are," says Turnquist.
If you opt for a double
major, the two subjects should complement one another or be in related fields.
Keep in mind, though, that well chosen minors can help turn seemingly unrelated
fields of study into assets. Turnquist notes that employers prefer students
with a clear focus, not students whose interests are "all over the map."
"If a student wants to be an engineer, but has aspirations to go into
management, they may get their bachelor of science in a particular engineering
field, then do a minor in business," Turnquist says. "[By doing that] they're
demonstrating to the company that they're interested in the people [aspect]
of the job and will probably be looking for management opportunities down
the road."
"We also get students who major in engineering or business,
and then get a minor in a foreign language with the idea of doing international
work" he says. "The minor can serve to help you with your future plans."
Another
option is a major-minor certificate. "These started out, from my understanding,
more in the professional world," says Anne A. Skleder, dean of the Chatham
College for Women in Pennsylvania.
"Companies wanted their employees
to get a series of two, three or four courses in a particular area." Certificates
are now becoming popular with undergraduate students.
"Major-minor
certificates are ideal for when you're not sure you want to fully commit to
a major in a subject, but want more than just a minor," Skleder says. "Often
the certificate includes, for example, a study abroad experience or an internship
-- things typical minors don't require."
A growing number of students
are designing their own majors. "If a student can envision where they really
want to be, it's wonderful to tailor-make your degree," Turnquist says. "But
in reality, the overwhelming majority of undergraduates are unsure."
"It
takes a very talented, self-motivated student to design something completely
on their own," adds Skleder. She says there are two types of students best
suited to self-designed majors.
"One is a student who knows exactly
what they want to do, but the institution they love and want to attend doesn't
have that particular major. So they're able to put together a proposal that
explains exactly why they want to take this particular combination of courses
at this particular point in time -- how it builds on their past and how it
positions them for the future."
The other type of student is one
who is likely headed to graduate school. "It might be a student who knows
they're going to law school, and it doesn't matter what they major in for
law school," Skleder says. In those cases, the program simply needs to be
logical and include all core requirements.
Chloe Vaast, a sophomore
at Providence College in Rhode Island, designed her own major. She falls into
Skleder's first category of self-designed major students.
"I really
wanted to get a job at a non-profit organization in Africa," she says. However,
Providence College didn't offer much in the field of African studies. Instead
of transferring to a larger school, she created her own major and cross-enrolled
at nearby Brown University to meet all her coursework needs.
Vaast
plotted out her remaining three years on a spreadsheet, listing her core requirements
and everything needed for her major. "I went on and on and the dean said,
'You didn't really need to do all this. I already got you the papers.' I pretty
much went in there ready to argue my case." Her fluency in French and Spanish
meant she could skip the foreign language requirement, freeing up room in
her schedule for a writing minor.
"Maybe because we're a smaller
school they're a little more lenient about creating your own major," Vaast
says. "It's a lot of work. You have to write proposals and have a lot of people
sign it. Apparently a lot of students think about it, but just drop it because
it's a lot of work. But it's worth it."
Turnquist says there can be
risks in self-designed degrees. "Even though they're getting more popular,
companies are going to think, 'What do you want?' or 'That's not what I'm
looking for' simply because they may not have an understanding of the student's
tailor-made program. So it's a gamble."
It's important that students'
major, minor or major-minor certificates are in subjects that interest them.
However, Turnquist and Skleder also underline that students must be able to
communicate to future employers exactly how their particular course of study
applies to their future career. This way they can maximize the benefits of
their education.
For more on this topic, see:
Guide to Choosing
College Majors:
https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/choosing-college-majors
MyMajors.com:
https://www.mymajors.com/