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There are a lot of resources online to help you choose a college major and career. How do you ensure that you are consuming quality content? My suggestion would be – look at the producers of the content. The sources should be assessed for reliability, quality, scope, and relevance. Another crucial point is that the fact, figures, prospects, and outlooks on these online resources might not be exactly applicable to your personal context and should be interpreted accordingly.

For introductory and fundamental information, university career websites could be a good place to start. Most international universities have career centers which disseminate relevant information on their websites (e.g. Gustavus College Career Center, Kansas State University Career Center).

Besides universities, there are career services either sponsored by governments (e.g. Handbook from United States Department of Labor, National Career Service from Ministry of Labor and Employment, India) and nonprofits (e.g. Careerdishanepal.org, Learnhowtobecome.org) or commercial career counseling websites providing you free resources while also offering their fee-based services (e.g. Mindler.com, Careerguide.com ).

You can also use mobile apps aimed at helping you find the right career (PathSource, Sokanu).

For diverse career-related articles, you can check career advice blogs (e.g. Muse, Thebalancecareers.com ), and career sections within general publications (e.g. TheGuardian.com/careers, Sciencemag.org/careers ).

In the following paragraphs, I will be listing online resources under different information categories:

 

Exploring Options: College Major and Career Profiles

Screenshot of MyNextMove.org

MyMajors.com is a website with an extensive list of college major and career profiles.  Major profiles include description, courses, related majors, and the careers associated with the major. Career profiles include description, skills and knowledge required, salary information and majors relevant to the career.

Occupational Outlook Handbook, produced by US Department of Labor, is a comprehensive resource material to get a detailed overview of various careers. It provides information on duties, work environment, education and skills required, pay, job outlook, and link to similar occupations. Since the handbook is created in the context of the American economy, all facts are not going to be applicable for Nepal. Still, it could be a good entry point to explore options.

My Next Move , also sponsored by US Department of Labor, displays career profiles in a compact and interactive form. It allows users to make career search through keywords, browsing industries or through their interest profile.

You can also explore video libraries on college majors and careers:

• Candid Career Videos
• CareerOneStop Videos Library
• YOUniversityTV
• College Majors 101

 

Exploring Yourself: Self-Assessments

Screenshot of Sokanu

There are various assessment tools to help you decide on choosing right college major and career. Those assessment tools ask you questions about your personality, needs, skills, preferences, and interests and give you a suggested list of majors and careers.
You should be however mindful that those assessment tools are there just to open up your mind to various options and not the definitive guide to your future.

• What College Major is Right for You?, MyMajors.com
• What should I major in quiz, Loyola University
• College major personality quiz, ThoughtCo
• Interest Profiler, O*Net
• Sokanu Career Test
• Skills Matcher, CareerOneStop
• Career Aptitude Test, Rasmussen College

 

Making the Plan: Lessons and Inspirations

Image Source: ‘Choosing a Major or Occupation’

Knowing about ourselves and the possibilities out there prepares us for our decision making process of major and career selection. But the process of making the decision can still be very confusing and overwhelming.

Again, university career centers can be your start point to learn the basics. For example,the document titled ‘Choosing a Major or Occupation’ from Florida State University Career Center gives step-wise guidance for major selection and career decision-making process.

Besides universities, various online platforms produce articles and resources to help you guide in this process. Exploring those resources will definitely help you cultivate deeper insights and make wiser decisions.

• Top 10 Ways to Find Your Career Path, LifeHacker
• Six Myths About Choosing a College Major, New York Times
• Four Steps to Choosing a College Major, New York Times
• 5 Signs You’re in the Wrong Profession, Inc.
• Talks to help you pick your major, TED Playlist
• Talks to help you find the right job, TED Playlist
• Talks to kickstart your next career, TED Playlist

 

Last but not the least, check this comprehensive and clever post: How to Pick a Career (That Actually Fits You) from WaitbutWhy.com.

 
Personal Yearning Octopus, WaitbutWhy.com

 

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Infographics to Help You Choose A College Major

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