“So, What Can you do with Your Major?”

The Holidays are quickly approaching. Many of us will be traveling and visiting family and friends. Some of us may go to holiday parties filled with our parents’ friends and people we typically only see once a year. At all of these events you are more than likely going to be asked “So what do you want to do with your major?” you’ll probably be asked more than once. 

If you aren't quite sure what you want to do with your degree yet, this is probably a very frustrating question. When you answer that you aren't quite sure yet, you’ll get responses that almost definitely indicate that your relatives think you are doing nothing but sleeping in or going to parties. Other possible responses include your neighbor beginning to tell you how she ended up working at her dead end job that she hates, or your mom’s best friend telling you how wonderful her son is doing at college. No matter the response you get you probably won’t end up finding your dream career over Thanksgiving dinner or at that awkward holiday party. 

I am a biology major and I have known for a while that I want to work with animals in some way. I absolutely loved the vacation I took with my family to Yellowstone National Park. I told my relatives that I really liked the idea of working with the wildlife, like at Yellowstone. They then proceeded to think I wanted to be a forest ranger. For years they thought I wanted to be a forest ranger until they asked me about how UMBC was preparing me to be a forest ranger. I looked at them so confused! 

My career path has changed many times since I have been at UMBC. I wanted to be a bioengineer, then a veterinarian, then a geneticist, then I wanted to do something more computational, then I wanted to do biomedical research, and now I am applying to graduate school to study evolutionary biology.

Your career path is not always clear cut. You may even change majors from biology to chemistry and then from chemistry to economics, and then from economics to global studies. If you aren't sure what you want to do, come to the Career Center and set up an appointment and we can help you identify possible career paths related to your interests.

If you don’t want to end up hiding in the corner with your older sister who graduated over a year ago and still doesn't have a job, then come to the Career Center. You can also check out some of the career exploration tools on our website like the Woofound Compass which is a quick and easy personality assessment. And the Focus 2 is an excellent self-assessment tool that uses your interests, personality, skills, and values to develop a long list of possible careers. The Focus 2, along with career advisement provided by Career Specialists, can help you clarify your career path. We have several other career assessment tools on our website that you may find useful as well.

Role at the UMBC Career Center: Director

Q: Where have you earned your college degrees?

A: Graduate Degree

Harvard University- Cambridge, MA

Undergraduate Degree

Georgetown University- Washington, DC

Q: What program(s) did you study? How did you choose your major?

A: M.Ed. in Human Development and Psychology

B.A. in Psychology

Personally, I struggled with deciding on a major flipping between biology (pre-med) and psychology. However, I always knew I wanted a career where I could personally make a difference. I decided on psychology as I was drawn to learning about human development and began to see myself in academia as a career.

Q: Tell me about the job and internship process when you were in college. Were you able to find job/internship positions that were related to your major or your career interests?

A: I worked throughout college- research, intern, volunteer, work study, part-time job- you name it and I did it. Each of these experiences developed my strong work ethic and passion for helping others. My favorite positions included interning at a Women's Shelter and conducting research in artificial intelligence and alien abduction (long story here).

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

A: Your community does not define you.

You are in control of your destiny.

Q: Why should students visit the Career Center?

A:  While in college, it's important dream about the possibilities. However, the Career Center will help connect you to those possibilities via internships, networking functions, on campus interviews, trips to companies, etc.

Let us help you discover and achieve your dreams.

Q: What is your favorite aspect about UMBC?

A:  I greatly value my UMBC experience, which spans over 15 years. UMBC is not only a place that supports innovation but also is a community that cares about people.

Q: What is one item on your bucket list?

A:  Within the next five years, I would like to take my husband and boys to Poland. Both of my parents immigrated to the US in their 20s and remain very active in the Polish community. In fact, they still only speak to me in Polish. I want my kids to experience Polish culture and customs first hand. This would mean a lot to me.

Q: What is one aspect of the DC/Baltimore area that you often explore?

A:  My husband and I lived in Baltimore City (Federal Hill and Canton) for ten years. We love going into the city to meet up with friends- relive our younger years.

Want to connect with Christine or any of our great Career Center team? Call our office at 410-455-2216 or check out our contact us page here: http://careers.umbc.edu/aboutus/

Name: Laquazia Bell

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Independent Can

Major(s)/Minor(s): Mathematics; Acturarial Track

Expected Graduation Year: 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

As the lithography technical intern at Independent Can my first project is to find the main causes to Lost Time on their 6-unit press. Currently I have found all issues, narrowed the list to 3 main issues to focus on, determined their root causes, and now I am brainstorming and researching on solutions to eliminate or minimize Lost Time.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I live in an area that is home to many industrial companies. I looked through Google Maps to search the companies in my immediate area since I am limited by my mode of transportation. I narrowed the companies down to ones I'd be interested in and visited their web pages or searched through various job search engines to see if they had any job postings. On independent cans website I found the posting for the internship I now have and applied. To prepare for my interview I was unaware of the mock interview I could have gotten through the school. Instead to prepare I used resources another company I applied with, Accountemps, had online that gave advice on how to prepare for interviews. It was incredibly helpful and made me feel and look a bit more prepared and competent during my interview.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

Career Center, UMBCworks

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

The open atmosphere. It is my first position in a professional setting and I appreciate that at Independent Can. I am able to wean myself into the business instead of being thrust into it.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

Time to build myself. Right now I am tasked to come up with solutions to the issues that I have found, I have a deadline but I am given plenty of room to think, everyone makes me feel comfortable enough to ask the questions I need answered in order for me to come to conclusions, regardless how tedious my questioning.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

If you can, take the time to ask the questions you need to get your job done right. It's an internship and we're supposed to be learning so when we start our careers we're prepared.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

Living in a how-its-made episode everyday while learning the basics for my future career.

Susan Hindle

Role at the UMBC Career Center: I help students majoring in life sciences make themselves competitive candidates for jobs and internships.

 Q: Where have you earned your college degrees?

A: I hold a M.S. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. from University of Maryland.

Q: What program(s) did you study? How did you choose your major?

A: I majored in Elementary Education as an undergraduate.   My roommate who was studying to be a teacher and knew I was unhappy with my major, said to me one day, “Have you ever considered being a teacher?”  It was the one major I had not considered!  My journey back then mirrors that of many others with whom I’ve worked with over the years – finding their way through trial and error.   It never occurred to me to seek guidance from a professional! 

I later decided to pursue my master’s degree but, unlike my undergraduate degree where I stumbled onto my major, I sought the guidance of a career counselor.  That experience was through an interesting twist of fate, I was offered a full-time position at JHU’s Career Center while pursing my counseling degree.  Upon the completion of my degree, I transitioned into the role of career counselor.

Q: Tell me about the job and internship process when you were in college. Were you able to find job/internship positions that were related to your major or your career interests?

A: UMD had established relationships with local counties so it was easy to find a placement for my student teaching internship. Upon graduation, UMD held a job consortium for education majors where representatives from various counties came to interview students.

For my master’s, I participated in an internship at a family counseling center in Catonsville, MD.  Once again, JHU had established relationships with various counseling centers in the Baltimore region, which made finding a placement easy.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

A: I can’t say there is one best piece of advice I have received.  My greatest lessons have come from life experiences.  One thing I’ve learned over the years is that, while you may not be able to change your circumstances or what happens to you, you have control over how you respond.  I believe how we choose to think about and respond to events shapes our destiny more than any other factor. 

Q: Why should students visit the Career Center?

A: I view one’s career as a journey, not a destination -- an ever-changing canvas that one must continually adapt to.  The Career Center's mission is to help people navigate their way – much like a compass to a traveler.  While you may find your way without our guidance, much like I did early on in my career -- through trial and error -- there is an easier way!  And no matter where you are along your career path, the Career Center can provide the guidance you need when you need it.

Q: What is your favorite aspect about UMBC?

A: UMBC is such a dynamic place to work, it’s difficult to choose one thing. But one thing that stands out is that it is a place where ideas are welcome and where collaboration is encouraged – at all levels.

Q: What is one item on your bucket list?

A: After seeing "Riverdance", I fell in love with Irish dancing.  I would love to learn how to Irish dance!

Q: What is one aspect of the DC/Baltimore area that you often explore?

A: Our family enjoys spending time visiting historic sites and museums in Baltimore and DC.  We also love hiking Patapsco Valley State Park.  The park is in our back yard and we hike there year-round.

Want to connect with Susan or any of our great Career Center team? Call our office at 410-455-2216 or check out our contact us page here: http://careers.umbc.edu/aboutus/