How to help my 1 yr college student decide on a career (bachelors, doctors)

[I LOVE PA!]

Help! My daughter has completed 1 1/2 yrs. of college and has now taken a semester off becasue she is becoming discouraged because she doesn't have a clue what she wants to do or what she wants to study. She has had some of the strangest classes so far which hasn't helped.
We live in a somewhat rural area of Pa. and opportunities are very limited. This also compounds the problem. Neither my husband or I went to college, so we are not full of ideas. Her advisor in school hasn't been much help. What she really needs t do is spend a day with someone in a profession. Where would I find out more about that?
Any suggestions?

[Ronzou]

You could always check out places like Disney, and places where you live about internships. I hear a lot of people go to Disney for those. I'm going to try for one if I don't find a job here soon.

One other thing I could suggest is that she pick from classes that sound appealing to her and let her take them and see how she likes them in different areas.

[leavingcali]

#1--Don't worry. This is typical. My college students at Sac State either don't know what they want to do, or think they do and then change their minds once I assign them an essay that requires an interview, an observation, and additional research on their major and/or dream job. (They change their mind because the job ends up being totally different than they imagined).
#2--Experiment. It took MANY different jobs, classes, and even two degrees to figure out what I wanted to do. IMO, it is perfectly reasonable for your daughter to take a little time off of college to work different jobs. If nothing else, working will help her figure out what she doesn't want to do.
#3--The previous poster's suggestion regarding internships is an excellent idea. I have done this many times as a student, and each time it really helped me create a vision for what I wanted to do with my life as well as gave me great experience that impressed other employers. I am pretty sure that all colleges offer interships in all different areas/departments. Many of these are listed on the college's website. Have her do a little internet search.

She'll figure it out. I think we all have to go through this, find something we like, and then probably go through it all over again a few more times. No matter what happens in this department, it is clear that she has a loving, supportive parent--that alone will help her go far in life.

[golfgal]

I would have her check with the career office at her school. They should have some interest tests she can take that can guide her into some career areas. If nothing else, getting a degree in ANYTHING is better then nothing. I know a lot of English majors that are now doctors and a lot of business majors teaching high school, etc. I know when I was in school we didn't have to declare a major until the first semester of our junior year so she would still have time to figure things out.

What does she like to do? What are her interests? Is there a way to make a career out of the things she likes to do? Those would be good starting points for her to think about.

[sunsprit]

Up to a point, the frst few years of college are general in nature, so your daughter can continue in school to keep advancing without declaring a major.

In the interim, she can approach many companies and perhaps schedule a fact finding interview with the HR departments. Select companies with lots of opportunities and ask the HR people what they'd like her to take for classes and areas of study to best prepare for a job with them. As she sees different opportunities/career paths, she may get interested in a particular course of study. Her college may also run "job fairs", where she can meet many HR people right on campus, or there may be another college in the area that hosts job fairs she can visit.

Internships at some companies may also lead to college financial aid and a long term job, while providing her an opportunity to see how the real job works for her.

Alternatively, she may find a totally different career interest which may or may not require a college degree. There's a lot of trades, for example, which don't require a college degree and still offer job security and high incomes, although a degree wouldn't hurt to have as she advances in her career path.

[jhlcomp]

Did they give her interest tests at college (name escapes me right now) - these are tests that can give you an idea where your career strengths might be - this is a must for any young college student.

She may be disillusioned, but has she tried to get an internship somewhere? This would be helpful. What are her interests? What are her strengths? Weaknesses?

[Sgoldie]

I recommend that she identify some careers that may interest her based on the classes she likes best. Her college placement office will have phamplets based on school majors that list a variety of positions attainable with each degree.

Rather than beginning with an internship (which are also excellent), she could try to arrange something called 'job shadowing' for a day. She would follow someone around who is actually working in a job to see what their day is like. This would give her a feel for the environment and demands of a particular job, although a cursory assessment it would be very helpful. HR depts can usually be persuaded if your really nice about it.

[SXMGirl]

Her college counselor should administer the Myers-Briggs to her. Not sure if there would be a charge, but it will save money and much frustration in the end. If her college doesn't administer it, I think many of the learning centers also use it.

[IBrakeforTailgaters]

I think everyone's advice is right on. I don't know if this is the right advice, but I'd also let her know that it takes a lot of folks a long time to discover what they want to do. I'm about to go back to school for my second Bachelors because I fell in love with the career that I landed in, which had nothing to do with my first degree. If she's the type who has multiple interests, she may find it hard to dwell on one certain thing, and that's fine too

Maybe the Occupational Handbook site may work? I've used that site a lot to discover more about fields that may sound of interest...they also let you know if there's expected job growth in the field. The site is http://www.bls.gov/oco/

[christina0001]

Yes, the school should have a career counseling department to help her. But seriously, most students don't know what they want to do until their junior year, and the first 2 years are required classes that all majors require.