Fear Comes From The Unknown

As a student in college, you come in undecided, and take a few GE classes, maybe come in for an assessment at the Career Center, and eventually decide on a major. Usually your major includes those classes you loved or things you enjoy doing outside of school. This decision and your path towards a career becomes easier once you start taking classes within your major and learn more about the requirements to get into and succeed in that field. What’s happening here is classic psychology, you’ve eliminated the fear of the unknown because now you’ve gained the knowledge and have a better idea of how to do those jobs.

This fear is something that comes up a lot in life. Maybe you’re hesitant to join a club because you’re unsure how they run their meetings or if the members are friendly. Maybe you’re looking to apply for an internship but decide not to because it doesn’t look like something you could ever do. You’ll never know until you overcome that fear and get that initial burst of knowledge. By exploring different paths, you learn a little more, and fear a little less!

A resource I believe combats this fear of unknown is Career Explorer, which is accessed through PrideCMS. Here, you can search a variety of careers and it will give you detailed information about the job such as average salary, projected growth, a description of the job, what education you need, and even the skills and cognitive abilities needed! By gaining some inside knowledge of the career, you start to overcome that fear of the unknown.

And remember, in the same way a stuffed toy or a blanket provides support and comfort to a child scared of the boogeyman, the counselors at the Career Center are here to support you as you venture into the unknown of your future Path of Pride. Give us a call at (516) 463-6060 and make an appointment today!

Anne Monique Concepcion, Graduate Assistant