A joint research brief by Longitude fellows:
Samantha Chao and Maddie Turner from Rice University, Houston (29.7° N, 95.3° W)
Longitude fellows Bilge Arslan from Yale-NUS College, Douglas Graham from Rice University, Armando Sanchez and Sanaa Atkins from University of St. Thomas (Houston) contributed to coding of transcripts for this brief.
Introduction
For many current and incoming students, the idea of college brings with it an enormous amount of pressure. Freshmen often feel that they must quickly decide upon the field they want to pursue, choose a corresponding major, and seek out as many opportunities in that field as possible. In an environment of competition where everyone seeks to overachieve, taking time to explore can feel like falling behind. The pressure to advance as quickly as possible and simultaneous fear of “choosing the wrong path” can be paralyzing for students and limit their willingness to use even part of their time in college for self-reflection and growth. However, in a series of interviews with working professionals in various fields, we have found that there is no single “correct” path to success. We have coded 11 of these interviews in order to identify the most common pieces of advice that these professionals offer to undergraduates looking to choose a field of study. We hope that the advice offered by experts will ease the anxiety of students who feel pressure to commit to a field of study early on in their undergraduate career, and will show them that they should be unafraid to explore multiple fields.
Methods
Through the Longitude.site program, undergraduate fellows contacted and conducted interviews with people working in a variety of fields. We randomly selected 11 transcripts from professions spanning financial services, music, research, and healthcare. The majority of interviews took place over video on Skype or Google Hangouts, with audio recorded for reference. Interviews lasted 30 to 45 minutes and consisted of questions about the interviewee’s background and path to their current position, expertise required for their field, and any opinions or advice that they had for current students. Audio recordings of interviews were transcribed and 11 of them were coded for this brief in order to identify common themes between transcripts. For each transcript, the coder identified themes that emerged under the broad category of “advice given” and identified quotes relating to each theme. Quotes that related to the same theme were compiled together and a brief explanation was written for each quote.
Findings
Out of the coded transcripts, five main themes of advice emerged: ask questions/be curious (8 quotes); explore varied interests (15 quotes); reach out to others (20 total, with 7 of these being “shadow your future profession”); gain familiarity with the field (10 quotes); and be proactive (7 quotes).
“Reach out to others” was the most common piece of advice given, mentioned by 10 of the 11 interviewees. Multiple interviewees emphasized that it is never as scary as it seems, including Rachel Solnick, an emergency medicine physician: “People are always happy to talk about their story if they feel like it’s going to help somebody develop their own path.” The vast majority of professionals view students reaching out for advice not as a nuisance but as an opportunity for mentorship and guidance. Notably, seven out of the 20 quotes in this category mentioned shadowing your future profession as a great way both to get in touch with professionals and to gain exposure to your field of interest. Todd Frazier, a musician and director of the Center for Performing Arts Medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital, explained that shadowing is useful even if you aren’t completely sure about what you want to do: “…anything one can do to gain more information and knowledge from people who are active practitioners is always going to be helpful whether you go into that field or not.” Seeing what daily life is like for a person working in your field of interest may confirm that you would enjoy such a career, but it may also help you narrow down potential jobs that you would not enjoy, which is just as helpful.
Another popular piece of advice mentioned was “explore varied interests.” Professionals from all four fields agreed that pursuing opportunities in multiple different areas of study will provide you with a broad set of skills applicable in multiple situations, give you a unique perspective that differentiates you from others in your field, and allow you to have a more creative career. Sanjula Jain, who works in the healthcare industry, mentioned the value of these varied experiences in her interview: “The world has now become so interdisciplinary and having a unique point of view and different experiences is actually what makes you more valuable.” Students often feel that they need to narrow down their interests in college in order to advance as far as possible in a single field: time divided between different interests is time wasted. However, there is so much value in exploring multiple fields that interest you, especially if you aren’t sure what you want to do in your future career. Besides giving you experience in different fields, exploring varied interests also helps you build up a wide variety of skills that can allow you to solve problems in unique ways, regardless of your field.
Related to exploring your interests, our interviewees also identified “gaining familiarity in your field” as an important piece of advice for students. Seeking out experiences in your field of interest is the best way to become familiar with the skills required for the job and the problems that professionals face in that field. In addition, learning about the history and background of a field of study gives you important context for a future in that career. Sanjula Jain, who works as the executive director of research at The Health Management Academy in Washington D.C., believes that this context should inform your work and help you effect change: “it’s hard to enter in a field to try to have an impact and make a difference if you don’t understand how it came to be where it is. And I think healthcare is a field where it is so easy to pass judgement and criticize…You can’t even begin to start changing it…or have an influence on it if you don’t understand the origin of it.” Gaining familiarity in the field of your interest allows you to start building practical skills for your career, as well as the analytical skills needed to evaluate how and in what positions your personal strengths can produce the greatest impact.
While seeking out experiences with professionals in your field of interest, many of our interviewees emphasized that it is important to ask questions and be curious in order to learn as much as you can before entering the field. Being inquisitive and eager to learn will show others that you are serious about a career; your enthusiasm will encourage them to teach you and expose you to as much as possible. Moody Heard, who works in financial services, explained that he is “on the hyper-curious side,” which has helped him in his work as an investment analyst: “I’ve always been that way…If you’re not incredibly curious about learning new things, you’re not going to enjoy the job, because every single deal you’re looking at is fundamentally new and different, at least it should be if it’s a good deal.” Not only does his curiosity help him excel in his role at Mercury Fund, it also makes his job more interesting and enjoyable. Having an innate interest and curiosity about your future professional field is a sign that you will enjoy the work in the long term. This curiosity has also helped Ross Williams, music professor and researcher, to gain a strong footing in the disparate fields of music composition, film, and scientific research. In his own words, “I sort of built a whole other career that’s peripheral to what I studied, although related in a lot of ways. Because on some levels, sound is sound whether it’s music or anything else. And when you’re organizing sound in space and time, then there are certain concepts that cross over all of them.”
Finally, being proactive was another common piece of advice for students. In particular Amber Lo, one of our interviewees who works as a corporate credit analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, has noticed that her industry really values drive and motivation when looking for new employees: “I realize now that as I’m also doing recruiting for my company, there is a lot of emphasis on what experiences [potential employees] have had in the past, what are they interested in, are they a go-getter, are they pursuing as [many] opportunities as possible, or are they just going through four years of school and hoping they can get in without networking.” Even if you aren’t sure what field you are interested in, showing initiative by finding opportunities in multiple different areas of study and putting your best effort into whatever you do shows that you are dedicated and will excel in any field.
Conclusions
Fellows had very interesting and thoughtful discussions with each of their interviewees, and out of these conversations emerged advice for students that emphasizes the value of diverse, varied interests, natural curiosity, and a strong desire to learn. College is a time to explore and not commit to any specific path before thoroughly engaging with and trying out different career options. Despite what many students believe, it is not a disadvantage to have interest in multiple areas of study, or even no direction at all when you are starting out. Rather, it can become a strength that allows you to fill job positions that no one else is able to do. One oft-ignored model for how students progress through college is a differentiating cell. Initially, students have infinite options and possibilities that are cultivated through taking classes, joining clubs, and trying new things. Gradually, certain options become more appealing than others, and the process of specialization begins. Many of our interviewees speak to this point.
Almost in conflict with popular ideas of honing industry-specific skills and experiences, our interviewees agreed that branching out and exploring these interests early is a wonderful way to build up a broad skill set that is applicable in multiple situations. The power of this approach lies in interdisciplinary jobs that are not always visible to the public eye, which offer the opportunity to combine disparate interests in ways that make you extremely unique and valuable. These precious, one-of-a-kind job opportunities are often found when you have no set career goal in mind, and instead are open to trying new and tangential internships and experiences. By compiling the responses of many interviewees from across different fields, and even generations, we have learned the power of saying “yes” to seemingly the wildest, least career-specific jobs. If you are flexible and open to new experiences, you may find out about a passion that you never knew you had and discover ways to apply it to your career.
However, it is also important not to overextend your interests. Reaching out to industry professionals to seek out internships and shadowing experiences will help you narrow down your list of interests and decide what you would enjoy specializing in, whether that be in a narrow field of study or an interdisciplinary, intersectional position. Our interviewees have all given great examples of how to demonstrate interest and passion through participation in internships, research projects, and volunteering. They emphasize dedication and commitment, which are seen through long-term, sustained efforts and self-motivated, self-directed learning. Not only does this prove to future employers that you are committed to your chosen fields of interest, you yourself also benefit from actively participating in different fields, learning more about yourself and your goals as you do so.
Putting this all together, we have learned that there is no such thing as “one size fits all,” especially when it comes to a fulfilling and rewarding job and career. While it might be tempting to adhere to the well-beaten path of choosing a career right as you enter college and investing every moment and opportunity to it, we want to remind you to take a moment, for your own benefit, to broaden your mental horizons and acknowledge the infinite possibilities that await those who take the time to seek them out.
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