The process of choosing a major is a necessary evil. It requires inward thinking and planning ahead, which can be intimidating and overwhelming. Jennifer Brown, a career development services specialist at Elgin Community College, knows how hard it can be to plant your feet firmly on the ground by picking an area of study when you enter into college, which is why she feels “Choosing a College Major” workshops are a wonderful resource for undeclared students at ECC.

“I think there’s a lot of indecision that can come at that age,” Brown said. “That’s perfectly normal.”

Brown believes that hesitation can sometimes come from a lack of inspiration.

“A lot of students haven’t been exposed to many work settings or different career ideas,” Brown said. “So we really try to pinpoint what a student’s strengths are and [understand] the whole person before matching them with career [options].”

Students and community members trickled into the first workshop of the fall semester held on Sept. 25 in room A119 and were asked, towards the beginning of the presentation given by Brown, to consider a series of questions: How do you see yourself? What are your values? Where do your passions lie?

Then came building a career vision, which was essentially a statement about oneself written mad lib-style. Students were encouraged to fill in the blanks with personality descriptors, values and preferred work activities. Brown told students that she herself filled out a vision statement at the beginning of her college journey, and it was a turning-point wherein she realized what she truly wanted to do.

“I guess that I am proof of how powerful these statements can really be,” Brown said.

Nancy Gomez, a student at ECC, found the flyer in her advisor’s office and was hoping that the workshop would make it easier to zero in on what she wanted out of her college experience.

“I’ve been struggling for a little bit, trying to make a choice,” Gomez said. “I feel like this workshop took some of the pressure off.”

Gomez knows that school can take a lot of time and effort, and she just wants to be confident in her decision. She felt like Brown’s presentation gave her some clarity.

“[Your major] can determine what your whole life might look like after college,” Gomez said. “What are you going to be making? How long is it going to take to get the degree you need in order to get the job you want? And [the workshop] answered some of those questions.”

Another student, who prefers to be referred to as R.M., felt equally enlightened by the workshop.

“There are so many options that I wasn’t aware of,” R.M. said. “And a lot of [careers] that are connected to things that I am interested in.”

One student, who has asked to be mentioned only as Rachel M., felt invigorated and ready to continue on a journey of self-discovery.

“I think I’ll make an appointment with [Brown] to continue to discuss my plans for the future,” M. said. “I liked the idea of being paired up with someone in the field that I’m interested in to get a better idea of [what certain careers entail].”

The next workshop is scheduled for Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m in building A, room A119. If you’re interested in attending, be sure to register in advance on the ECC website under Career Development Services.