Deciding what to study in college and then making a career out of it can be challenging, to say the least. During this time there can be influences that cause students to lean towards a certain major, even if it doesn’t lead to their dream job.

At a Counseling Center academic workshop held Sept. 29, Lori Arnold, licensed professional counselor, said, “Because they believe a specific major will lead to a career in which they will make tons of money, is why some students choose majors.”

Arnold began to tell the students the right and wrong reasons for choosing a major. With money being under the “wrong” reasons, Arnold seems to tell the students there is more to a career than an annual income. There were more than 25 people at the free workshop, and more than half said they had attended multiple workshops that the Counseling Center has hosted.

“Money is not everything. You want to be able to enjoy your career as well,” Arnold said, at the presentation in the Sundance Apartment Complex.

Money can of course be an important issue when people attempt to choose a path for their life. Having money can be enjoyable, she said, but so can enjoying a career where they don’t make as much.

Preye Nwanju, nursing junior, said, “I enjoyed coming to this event because I was influenced by my parents to change my original major of banking to nursing because they said I would do better and make more money.”

Arnold said students can choose from many majors and not knowing what best fits can be difficult.

“Most college students change their major at least three times,” Arnold said, advising students to take a general course to give the students a feel for what that major is about. The counseling center has a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator that tests the student’s personality and can show them their strengths, to help them have a feel for what they could do for a career. Arnold presented a self-analysis of the students to help make choosing a major and career better suited for their personality and interest.

Betty Amare, nursing junior, said, “This is my second workshop I went to and this one I liked more because it is the reason we came to college, to find our future career.”

This Career workshop put on by the counseling center, has made career acknowledgement available to students who are still questioning what career path they fit best in.