Careers
I chose my career trajectory initially by considering my interests. These included writing, communicating, and working in teams. After looking through the list of majors at UMBC, my eyes were drawn to the Media and Communications degree. In addition, my dad thought this major would be a good fit for me.
I have never changed my major, and I haven’t really considered it. I was deciding between Psychology and Media and Communications at the beginning, but I chose MCS because I didn’t want to get my masters in Psychology right away. I’m glad I decided to major in MCS and minor in Psychology. I am content with choosing my major because I am genuinely interested in it. As Pollak stated in her book, “What would you do for a living if money weren’t an issue?” (61). However, I am afraid that I may not get a job right out of college if I don’t make the proper connections.
I have two main stressors in regards to my major. First, I’m afraid that most companies will be looking for STEM major and not humanities majors. Something I found interesting in this week’s reading was when Pollak stated the myth, “you should get a job directly related to your college major.” (53). I feel as though this concept isn’t stressed enough. Right out of college, the major one pursues may not directly be related to their profession and that’s not a problem.
Another stressor I have is not making enough money to support myself in the future. As Pollak stated, “….everyone keeps asking you what sounds like an easy question but can be the hardest in your life to answer: What do you really want to do?” (49). Getting your major is the “easy” part; figuring out what to do with it is the real challenge.
Also, I’ve always been afraid that I’d end up committing to a job that I ended up not liking. Pollak gives advice relating to this by advising, “you can shadow anyone at any career stage, but I particularly like the idea of shadowing an entry-level person in the kind of job you might apply for.” (65). Hopefully I will make enough connections and be proactive about finding a job so that these potential problems won’t arise.
I found this site which shows some of the best jobs for Media and Communications majors https://www.thebalance.com/best-jobs-for-communications-majors-2059631
This article gives tips on how to find a job relating to your major
https://expertbeacon.com/use-your-degree-get-perfect-job-career-field-you-want#.WcrJw7FlCf0
I found this post particularly useful because it listed the average salaries for Media and Communications majors, as well as the main occupations associated with the degree.
