Five necessary criteria and five desirable criteria to choose a major

By dli6
Week 9Leave a Comment on Five necessary criteria and five desirable criteria to choose a major

For this week’s assignment I chose to explain my criteria how I selected my major.

Necessary criteria

  1. Interests

I cannot imagine to choose a major that I am zero interested in. The major should reflect my interests and personality. Lucky me, I am interested in a lot of things. When I decided to get an American College Degree, I made a list of all fields I would love to study. The list was pretty long! I already have a German Degree in Social Pedagogic, and work experience in the field of education and project management. From all experience I liked the Project Management the most.

  1. Demand

In my opinion a degree without any future perspective is a waste of time and money. I am aware that o lot of people choose a Business major. But Business is what keeps the economy in the country moving. It teaches a variety of skill that are useful for every other job: plan, organize, supervise, manage, implement, strategic, support, time management, communicate and more.

  1. Job selection

I compared my list with future jobs and which major would give me the option to work in different areas. Business Administration seemed to be an ideal choice since every field and company offers administrative jobs. Since we move a lot (military) I should be able to find a new job easily with a business degree. I might even consider to open a business that moves with me.

  1. Online courses

My husband is in the military and will stay for a couple more years. The last 6 years we moved a lot. Alaska is our 4th location in this time. Normally we stay 2-3 years on one place. With all the moving comes transition to new colleges, which might not transfer all hard earned credits. So I searched for military friendly colleges/ university which offered online courses in addition to face-to-face classes. Military friendly institution also offer in-state tuition when we have to move again.

  1. Affordability

We have to look after our money. Education in the US can be very expensive. I decided to start my studies at a Community College to save money. I also applied for a lot of scholarships and FASFA. The books are costly as well. I checked the colleges if they have libraries that would rent course books.

 

Desirable criteria

  1. Ranking

I wish I could choose the University freely. I had a full scholarship for the Kings College in New York and a half scholarship for the Columbia University. But the military says where we have to go and New York was not on the list.

The Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland was one of the best national Community Colleges and the Alaska University is famous for their research and Homeland Security/ Emergency Management Program. As far as I know the UAF is the only University in the USA with their very own Research Vessel “Sikuliaq’ and Rocket ramp! So I am very happy with my choice of College and University.

  1. Internships

Internships are the perfect opportunity to check out in practice if the chosen major will fit my expectations and visions. Internships increase the social network and the chance for getting employed are higher.

  1. Minor

Today a simple Bachelor degree might not be enough, to peak out of the mass of applicants for a job. Getting a minor shows that I specialized in a certain field and that I am willing to extend my knowledge. Giving my knowledge and expertise to students in the Business field is an attractive opportunity for me in the future.

  1. Postgraduate Degree

I loved to teach people. Getting a MBA and/or PhD might give me the opportunity to teach in my field.

  1. Income

Well, that is important. One of the reasons I am getting a degree is to earn money and provide for our family. With the Business Degree I will have the necessary skills to climb up the career ladder, gaining more responsibility and money.

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