“My goal is not to wake up at forty with the bitter realization that I’ve wasted my life in a job I hate, because I was forced to decide on a career in my teens,” cynically muses Daria, MTV’s cult cartoon character from the show “Daria”.
Deciding what to major in and what career path to choose is a stress for most high school students. Even as student’s high school careers progress, the trial of choosing what to major in without having any idea of the actual career field seems overwhelming. “I don’t really know [what I want to major in],” senior Emily Duncan says, and she’s not alone.
According to a New York Times report, 61 percent of students at the University of Florida change their majors by the end of their sophomore year. While changing majors is a common practice, it sometimes has dire consequences with 40 percent of students in four year programs completing their degree in five and six years. Not only are students delaying their entry into the workforce, some state colleges charge extra for credits earned after a four year period.
So how can students combat indecisiveness and pick the right major?
Founder of MyMajors.com, Fritz Grupe, says that high school is the time to explore college majors and career options.
Rotary Club’s high school service organization, Interact Club, realized this need for Bob Jones students to explore different career options before graduating.
Taking place on the first Wednesday of every month in the media center, Interact Club will have Rotary Club members speak to students about their professions.
“Anyone who works and has an impact in the community-we’re going to bring them in,” James Moore, Interact club’s Public Relations official explains.
The first event brought in Elizabeth Hussein, an area speech pathologist and owner of the Huntsville Area’s Val-Pac couponing business. Mrs. Hussein discussed both the different specializations of speech pathology and the challenges of owning a small business.
“Managing people is its own skill, that’s probably one of the hardest things [of running a business],” Hussein said.
Hopeful small business owner, senior Simone Robinson, enjoyed the after school event. “I am going into school for business so to have a business owner come and talk to us, who also had another career, which is what I want to do, it gave me insight into what to do and what not to do.”
Interact Club will be hosting speakers through April. Club sponsor Mrs. Krell says that Interact Club hopes to expand the events into having career mentors for each Interact Club member starting next year.
