You Majored in What? by Katharine Brooks Read Free Book Online Page A

your process and soon you will be combining the information you’ve uncovered in this chapter with the knowledge you’ll acquire in the next few chapters to begin designing your plans for a captivating and compelling future.
    Before you leave your Wandering Map, consider the following questions:
1. If you’re having trouble seeing your themes, try asking yourself these questions: “What would happen if a miracle occurred tonight and suddenly I could see the themes? What do I think they would be?”
2. What two or three items are you most proud of? What skills or behaviors did you use to accomplish them? Can you begin thinking of ways to use those skills or behaviors now or in a work setting?
3. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being least important and 10 being most important, which theme would you rank as the most important? Why?
4. If you knew you couldn’t fail, which one of these themes would you keep pursuing?
5. What theme would you like to take a step toward pursuing in the next twenty-four hours? What step would you take?
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    WISDOM BUILDERS
     
1. GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR STUDY—ABROAD EXPERIENCE: WHAT GRADUATES HAVE DISCOVERED
    Many students and recent graduates include their study-abroad experience in their Wandering Maps. When surveyed about their college experiences, graduates almost always rank their study-abroad experience as one of the best and most fulfilling times in their lives. They cite the unexpected benefits they received from the experience and the many skills and talents they acquired, almost without realizing it. Here’s a list of the common strengths graduates say they acquired through the study-abroad experience:
• Established rapport with individuals from other cultures
• Functioned well in ambiguous situations and handled difficult situations
• Achieved goals (despite lots of challenges)
• Showed initiative and took risks
• Managed time well enough to both study and travel
• Responsible for all personal actions (no one else to rely on)
• Learned the language quickly
• Learned to be comfortable while relocating often in a job
• Learned through listening and observing
• Developed good decision-making skills . . . after making some errors
    How might this list of skills interest an employer?
     
    Can you think of some skills you derived, or might get, from studying abroad? Make some notes here: ________________________________________
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    2. HOW DO MY RELATIVES FIT INTO MY CAREER PLANS?
    Another common component of a Wandering Map is the influence of family. Your parents and other relatives can be influential sources of information and attitudes about careers. Whether it’s a family business or career such as medicine, performing arts, and the law, it’s not uncommon for family traditions to develop around careers. What you need to decide is whether your family’s career field works for you. Here are some questions to consider as you think about the influence of your family:
• What do my parents say about their work?
• Did they choose their careers or did circumstances influence them?
• Would they do the same work again?
• Is there a career field that runs through my family?
• Am I interested in continuing this family tradition?
• What will happen if I do or don’t follow the tradition?
• What suggestions or advice have my parents given me about my career?
• What are my siblings doing?
• Do they enjoy the careers they’re in? Why or why not?
• What advice or guidance have they given me?
• What