Finding the right major and fitting job that offers joy and fulfillment seems to be a hard task for many new and also already advanced students.
Taking online assessments and exploring different fields over time can bring greater clarity, said Elder Keyes from Canada, a service missionary working in the Counseling Center. “There has been a number of people who have done in-depth research on the personality qualities that people have and how this will lead to satisfaction in their employment,” he said.
He referred to the various programs and surveys available to get a feel for where to get the most comfortable, pointing out especially the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. “It is probably the most well-known and will show you your style.”
He said it is refined for employment selection and also used for relationships.
Hanna Ngo, a junior in business management from Vietnam, said computer science was the trend at home, leading her to start her college education in it. “In the third year, I realized it’s more important to go with what you like than with what everybody does.”
Though she finished her degree, she said she felt stressed and was eventually drawn to business. She started her own business and created a team where she could combine her skills of both fields.
“I thought a lot of what I wanted to do and what fit that,” said Aubrey Ferrel, a sophomore majoring in international cultural studies with an emphasis in communication from Washington DC, “But I didn’t want anything limiting, what only focuses on a specific job. I wanted something that interests and inspires me to bring something different to a work environment.”
Ferrel continued, “I always have had interests in writing and entrepreneurship. I thought originally business with a marketing track would be good. But because marketing is only the track, not the major, there was just not enough focus. So I tried something else that covered what I wanted to do.”
She decided to switch to ICS because there is more focus on the individual track, rather than the required core classes. Classes like media writing caught her view, since they synchronized more with her interests.
“I am fascinated,” she said, “with a lot of different things and always wanted to write. I think journalism is cool, because you get a lot of different topics that you have to familiarize yourself with. It’s a job where you keep learning.”
Keyes remembered, “I didn’t have a major through all my college. I declared it my senior year. The way it worked out was, I looked at all my grades and what I did best in and what I enjoyed most and it was in the psychology area.”
When he applied for graduate school, he needed to write a letter on why he wanted to attend that school. He said it made him think and realize his love for talking and helping people. “I loved it. But up until then I was working as a mechanic.”
His advice for students is “leave all doors open and go through those that interest you. Eventually opportunities will come in those areas.”
When Keyes had Elder Bruce R. McConckie’s son as a teacher at BYU 35 years ago, he remembered him always saying, “Pick one. So much of what we do is less important than living the righteous life. We can do this almost anywhere.” Keyes said the Lord will use you wherever you are.
Ferrel also commented about the power of Brigham Young University–Hawaii in transforming people’s life in a positive manner no matter what major they are in.
She encouraged new students to “think about career options that you would enjoy and making sure to not get too far into the major until you are sure that’s what you want to do. And not only think about what you want to do, but also what you want to learn. Have fun with it. If you are miserable, then change.”
“It’s also about learning to love what you do,” she said. “When you learn to appreciate it, you’ll realize it’s not that hard. There is a way to be grateful for everything.”
Ferrel said one of her goals is to have a major that helps her become a better person “no matter what I eventually do.”