I'm Going to Go Get One of Those Job Things

“I’m going to go get one of those job things”- Rachel Green, Friends. 

But although we’d all like to think that it is as easy as saying that you’re going to go get a job and then one just appears for you that is exactly what you always imagined you would always be doing, that is not always the case.


Your major does not have to define your career, and it is always good to have experiential learning opportunities to decide if you really want to go into a field. Let me give you an example. As a physics and psychology major in my undergrad days, I first thought that I wanted to be a high school physics teacher. I loved my physics teacher in high school and really enjoyed the subject. Once I started doing some shadowing and field experience in high schools however, I realized that teaching was not for me. After that, I looked into some careers that I could have with a psychology (shameless plug for Onet!) and decided I wanted to work in human resources. I thought that would be so easy! I would talk to people all day, help them with problems, and get to interview some people. Sticking with that plan, I did an internship in HR my senior year of undergrad and discovered that it was not for me. Thank goodness for experiential learning helping me figure out what I did NOT want to do!


Fast forward to graduation from undergrad and going to graduate school at Hofstra for Higher Education, where more experiential learning opportunities presented arose to intern in Advising, and then be a Graduate Assistant in the Career Center. And I LOVED it! I found my passion for career advising and working in Higher Education, all because I was able to have experiences that taught me what I didn’t want to do.


Remember the importance of shadowing, interning and experiential learning in choosing a career. Knowing what you do not want to do will put you closer to what you do want to do!

Cheryl Posner
Career Advisor, Liaison to the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication