The college-bound student, especially in recent years, has tended to view higher education from the limited perspective of career preparation. In the process, those college students may have overlooked the opportunity offered by higher education to broaden outlooks and enhance thinking skills. The result may be reduced ability to adapt to future changes in life and career. Majors in accounting, computer science or engineering provide more assurance of related employment after graduation, but might be bad choices for the student who is only truly happy when immersed in Russian history. Personal interests and abilities must be combined with job market information in making an effective decision.
Many students fall prey to common career myths.
For example, they may believe that their majors lead directly to one career choice. They fail to understand one major can lead to many different careers, and one career can be reached through many different majors. Most employers value related work experience and real world skills more than a particular major. One exception is technical fields, such as nursing or mechanical engineering, which require specific preparation. Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with following an occupational course of study.