Major/Career Exploration Activities

As part of Student Development and Undeclared Services, the following activities are available for you to complete, or will be recommended by your academic advisor. Undeclared majors must complete one of these activities per quarter within their first year (3 quarters) at Cal Poly Pomona. These activities will assist you in exploring major / career interests and further develop your knowledge in the specified areas:

MAJOR/CAREER ACTIVITIES LIST
*See activity descriptions on the back of this sheet / Circle Your Level of Confidence:
1 = no confidence to
5 = very confident / DUE DATE
Attend a departmental “Change of Major” meeting / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Complete the Career & Major Exploration
Worksheet at the Career Center / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Attend a Major / Career Exploration Workshop / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Make an appointment with a Career Counselor to complete a career interest inventory or complete on-line assessments and discuss results with academic advisor / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Complete the Major Card Sort Activity on-line / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Complete a Job Shadowing activity / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Complete an informational interview: interview with Alumnus who graduated in the major you are interested inora professional in the field / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Interview the Dept Chair (or another faculty member) of the major you are interested in / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Observe a course in the major interest area
of your choice, with permission of instructor / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Volunteer to work in major interest area / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5
Personal action plan(s)
-discuss with your academic advisor / Before activity: 1 2 3 4 5
After activity: 1 2 3 4 5

IMPORTANT: KEEP THIS HANDOUT IN YOUR ADVISING PORTFOLIO.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONS

Attend a Departmental “Change of Major” meeting

Through these meetings you learn the requirements for the different majors such as Business, Computer Science, Engineering, HRT, etc. You will learn about the process for declaring into the major, opportunities offered in their program, and what you can do career-wise after receiving your degree. You will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Career & Major Exploration Worksheet

You will learn about salary, education and skills required, and responsibilities for two or more majors or careers of your choice to help you in your major decision. You will also learn about CareerCenter services, such as resume writing, part-time jobs, and more.

Attend a “Major / Career Exploration” Workshop

These workshops are for students who are really confused about what to major in. You will learn about the key factors in choosing a major, how you can apply your interest and values to selecting a major, andwhat influences your career choices. These workshops will help you narrow down your choice in majors.

Make an appointment with a Career Counselor to complete a career interest inventory and discuss results OR complete on-line assessments and discuss results with your academic advisor
A career interest inventory will help you explore your values, interests, skills and talents. You will meet with a Career Counselor to discuss what the results reveal about your potential career choice. This activity will help you start looking into majors that are right for you and point you in the right direction for continuing to narrow down your choice of a major. ($3.00 fee for inventory)
Complete the Major Card SortActivity On-line at:hhtp://
With this activity, you will look at all majors offered at Cal Poly Pomona and categorize them into those you are interested in, those that you may want to explore more, and those that you definitely are not interested in. You will narrow down the list of majors to your top five and explore them in more detail.
Complete a Job Shadow activity

You will find a person who is working in a job that you are interested in and ask to be a guest at their employment site so you can follow them around on one of their typical days and see what their job is really like. You can find some of these people through the on-campus career fairs, department websites, academic advisors, or ask friends and relatives.

Complete an informational interview; interview someone who graduated in yourmajor interest area

You will find a person who is working in a job that you are interested in and interview them on their field. Find out how they like their job, what skills are required, what degree they earned to have that job, etc. The interview may be in person or by telephone.

Interview the Dept. Chair or a Faculty member of the major you are interested in

You will interview the Chair or a Faculty member of a major you are interested in to learn more about requirements for declaring into their program, courses, skills required, career opportunities, etc.

Observe a course in the major interest area of your choice, with permission of instructor

Look through the university catalog or schedule of classes to select a course offered by the major department you are interested in and contact the instructor for permission to observe the class.

Volunteer a few hours a week to help out in a major related office or environment.

Personal action plan

Discuss with your advisor other major/career exploration related activities that you are interested in doing. Your advisor may approve other activities as part of your major/career exploration process.

Student Support and Equity Programs of Student Affairs

Building 94, Room 121(909) 869-3360Cal Poly Pomona