A degree in the liberal arts is the precursor to an overall better, more educated
and aware life. Sometimes students and their families are unaware of the opportunities
in many different career fields that a liberal arts degree can foster, which can
make the process of choosing a major at Hendrix more difficult.
Helping you find the right path for your life – starting with "What major?" –
is something that Career Counseling and Internship staff is happy to discuss with
any student. We can help you identify industries, careers, and positions that might
best suit your individual skills and passions, then help you discern what majors
might best support you in reaching your professional, career-related goals. Consult
the resources we recommend below, or contact our office to schedule an appointment
to have a one-on-one conversation about your interests, goals and ideas in depth.
Whether you are exploring multiple majors or searching for information about
your chosen field, this website will help you connect majors to careers. Learn about
the typical career areas and the types of employers that hire people with each major,
as well as strategies to make you a more marketable candidate. Continue your research
on majors and careers through the provided links to additional helpful websites.
The O*NET database includes information on skills, abilities, knowledge, work
activities, and interests associated with over 900 different occupations. Backed
up with statistics from the US Department of Labor, searching O*net can give students
insight into many different careers they never knew existed, much less considered.
Looking closely at the knowldee and abilities sections, in particular, can give
students good ideas for which majors would be suited to their career pursuits.
Alumni Connection Time
In coordination with the Development and Alumni Offices at Hendrix and the Office
of Employment and Graduate School Connections, we sponsor ACT sessions throughout
the academic year. ACT allows students to have one-on-one meetings with Hendrix
Alumni from different academic backgrounds who are working in a wide variety of
fields: business, service, healthcare, law, etc. These meetings are great opportunities
to find out what Hendrix graduates go on to do with their liberal arts degrees,
and have proved very helpful to student attendees who are struggling with the "What
major?" decision. Through this program, students can get real-world advice from
graduates with different majors who've gained experience in the work world and are
eager to transfer that knowledge to current undergraduates. ACT mentors are always
listed in Hendrix Today a week in advance for students to sign up.
Academic Advisors
In addition to our office and the many resources it provides, students are strongly
encouraged to talk with their academic advisor and associate advisor when exploring
different majors to pursue. Advisors have been through special training to provide
guidance and mentoring to students struggling with the "What major?" decision and
can be helpful guides through not only the course selection process, but on how
to use Odyssey and other Hendrix experiences to help ascertain what major might
fit a student best.