For many new college students, the need to choose a major is constantly looming. They are constantly under pressure that they must choose a major as soon as possible. Through this often hasty decision making, many fail to realize the power held behind selecting a major that is seemingly irrelevant to their desired career. By going against the normal flow -- students majoring in the field of their career path -- students are able to show they are open minded and learn attitudes that are far more important to businesses than a major.
Majoring in fields that are not directly related to career paths broadens perspective. For example, if a student has chosen a recreational therapy career path, they must be knowledgeable on psychology and various therapeutic techniques. However, by majoring in psychology, they are not displaying their academic diversity to employers. Majoring in psychology may enable them to perform well in the recreational therapy field; however, it does not allow them to bring something new and enhance the company for which they are employed. It shows that the student is close-minded and only knows about areas of that field that are absolutely necessary for them to know about. They do not show initiative by learning about something that may not be directly related to recreational therapy. By choosing a major that is not related to a career, one can discover new techniques to bring to the field. If a student were to major in music education and then go into recreational therapy, they would be able to use many of the organizational techniques involved in music education to enhance their performance in recreational therapy.
Learning and become experienced in a field outside of a career helps one develop attitudes that can significantly impact a career. Returning to the previous example, music education majors are required to develop very understanding, patient, and flexible attitude. As a music education major, one must be very patient with students who may not accomplish all that the educator would like them to. In order to be patient with these students, the educator must also understand the circumstances in the students' lives and how they are influenced by the things around them. A student may not practice the piano for the required time which can be very frustrating to the teacher, until they learn that the parents of that student are getting divorced which is adding a lot of stress to their life. Lastly, music education helps one develop a very flexible attitude. If a student does not practice, they are not prepared with sufficient material to utilize 45 minutes of instruction time. The professor may have planned on instructing that student on the difficult sections of a piece, or answering questions. However, an unprepared student is unable to fill 45 minutes with questions or sections that require assistance. At the moment that student comes in the door, the teacher must develop an entire proactive lesson on the spot to make up for their student's lack of preparation.
These attitudes may not have a direct relationship with a recreational therapy career. However, with care, they can be implemented the augment the performance of the therapist. While the techniques on practicing and performance directly related to the piano may not apply in any way to the therapeutic techniques needed, the attitudes are what make the difference. Using the understanding, patient, and flexible attitudes developed in a musical capacity, a therapist is able to be more understanding, patient, and flexible with the problems, needs, and therapeutic exercises and activities that are individual to each of their patients.
Choosing a major is not choosing a life path. It is choosing to expand perspective and enrich performance in a desired career. First year college students do not need to persistently worry about whether they have a major that is related to their future career. Instead, they should choose to major in something that makes them happy. While studying their major, focusing on the core attitudes of that major and broadening their perspective will impact any chosen career.
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