Majors at BYU

After attending most of every class discussing majors, I know a lot more about the majors BYU offers. Not every subject interested me, but I'm still glad I attended every class because I learned something in each of them.

Currently, the major I'm most interested in right now is Ancient Near Eastern Studies. I didn't even know this major existed, and was excited to learn about it.  After taking a closer look at the major's requirements I am even more intrigued. It's 60 credits and requires a lot of Religion, History, and Language courses related to the ancient near east. It is under the College of Humanities in the International and Area Studies department. I would have the option to take Greek 302, which would count for my languages of learning requirement. This class would also count for part of the Letters requirement, but I've completed a course for that section already. I would also have to take REL A 211 and REL A 212, both of which would count for my New Testament GE requirement. I would also take REL A 301 & 302, which would finish my BYU religion requirement.

Another major that piqued my interest was Teaching Social Science. It caught my attention when I learned in class that it encompasses a broad range of material: history, geography, politics, economics, and psychology. It is 73 credits and is under the History department in the College of Family, Home and Social Science. By finishing the major I would meet the Civilization 1 (I've completed the course in this major that covers this GE requirement) and the Civilization 2 GE requirements. It would also meet the Global and Cultural Awareness requirement, which isn't helpful since I've already completed it with another class.

Mathematics is 53.5 credits and is in the Mathematics Department of College of Physical and Math Sciences. I'm keeping this major in mind because math has always been my strong suite, and I learned in class that it is recommended for job security reasons. Should I complete this major, it would fulfill the quantitative reasoning and languages of learning GE requirements.

Strong Interest Inventory

Last month, I took the strong interest inventory test at the Career and Academic Success Center. I was asked to rate specific occupational activities based on how much I thought I would enjoy doing them. It was hard to answer based on my first reaction as the instructions directed and avoid over-thinking. For many of the questions, I didn't have strong feelings one way or the other. I was worried the results would be skewed because of this.

Before receiving my results for the strong interest inventory, I guessed that my Holland Code would be ISA. While I was right about which letters were my top three, I was wrong about the order. My actual Holland Code was ASI. I was a little surprised by this, but it also makes sense.

From my list of top ten occupations for this test, I am especially interested in the prospect of being an ESL instructor, a musician, a speech pathologist, and an instructional coordinator. I have fairly neutral feelings about the other occupations. For the musician occupation in particular, I have mixed feelings. While I like the idea of being a musician and enjoy singing, I currently have little musical training and I do not like the idea of being financially unstable.

The occupations that ranked 11-15 for my SII were: 11. Physical Therapist (STD score: 48), 12. Technical Writer (STD score:47), 13. Registered Nurse (STD score: 47), 14. Chiropractor (STD score: 47), 15. Rehabilitation Counselor (STD score: 46)/ Librarian (STD score 46).

This test definitely gave me some more options to consider. I am not convinced it is 100% accurate, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Devotional/Forum Post 1

Last week (February 10, 2015), I attended the devotional given by David Hart. Hart talked about personal excellence, known to the ancient Greeks by the term "arete." Specifically, he said that while everyone should strive to be all that they can be, each person's arete is unique and specific to that person. Therefore, each person has a sacred obligation to be their own personal best, not someone else' best. I feel like this concept is incredibly relevant to choosing a career or major. What if Beethoven would have decided he should become a mathematician because that's what someone told him would be the most practical? What if Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Marie Currie, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, or any influential person of any kind had decided not to explore the areas they were clearly made for?  Knowing that my talents and life callings are specific to me helps me to refrain from comparing myself to others as I endeavor to determine what choices I should make for my life. I feel certain this idea would also help anyone who was trying to choose a career or major.

Hart lists steps to achieving excellence. First, he said one should be engaged in their present task, whatever it may be. Second, he said one should seek out opportunities for engagement, and try to become aware of the times they find themselves experiencing what he termed "flow," which one feels when doing something that excites them in ways pertaining to their own personal excellence. Third, he said one should increase their self awareness by taking time away from all forms of technology. These times of absence, or solitude, he says, helps a person to think for his or herself, and therefore understand their true self. Fourth, he said one should search for awe in everything -- from the most magnificent of God's creations to the simplest, most ordinary aspects of life. Fifth, he said one should be selfless, quoting Luke 9:23-24, which states that those who lose themselves will find themselves. Sixth, he said that one should be compassionate, which consists of two parts: empathy and acting. Empathy causes someone to feel caring thoughts for another person, but if that empathy is not acted upon, compassion is not complete.

I find it interesting that Hart's methods combine self reflection with selflessness. On the one hand he says we should try to seek to know ourselves, and take sufficient time and effort in this endeavor. On the other hand, he says we should focus our attention outward, and forget ourselves to an extent. The absence of either element would leave a person either completely absorbed in their own self and their own world, or so engrossed with those around them that they are unaware of who they are. The balance between the two is clearly key. I think these ideas are helpful to remember, especially when school, work, and other engagements threaten to completely absorb me. If I don't take some time for self reflection, it will all be in vain.What would be the point of frantically taking classes and doing assignments if I don't reflect on who I am and what I want so I can make proper plans to fulfill my desires? The same, of course, applies to selflessness and compassion. Without these two virtues, what is the point to life at all? I would define charity as encompassing both selflessness and compassion, and as Moroni 7:46 reads "if ye have not charity, ye are nothing."

The advice concerning this topic that I would give to others like me who are trying to choose a career or major is this: I truly think that combining all six elements described by Hart will help you to achieve the right balance in life whereby you will be able to know yourself and know how you can best serve others. This, in turn, will help you build the mindset necessary to discern what career would be best suited to you.

Peer Mentor Meeting

Last month, I met with Julia by the Jamba Juice. We talked about my indecision with regards to choosing a career and a major. I told her that despite pressures from various individuals trying to convince me to pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), I am not certain I would be happy in such a field. Julia is a Spanish Teaching major, and we discussed our common interest in the Spanish language. I have long considered formal education to be an ineffective way to learn a new language. I retained almost nothing of practical value from my high school Spanish class. On the contrary, I have found self-teaching methods (online dictionaries, Duolingo, watching movies in Spanish) to be much more effective. According to Julia, many of the language courses here at BYU are actually very effective, and seek to immerse the students in the language through natural methods rather than tedious memorization of vocabulary. This is exciting news to me, and I am now considering the option to minor in a second language.

Values Reflection

The values auction activity was surprisingly difficult to me. I tried to spread out my money in order to provide sufficient funds to everything I value highly, but this meant that I almost ended up winning nothing since other people were bidding higher. Overall, I was enlightened to learn that as with this auction, I may not be able to incorporate all these values in my occupation, meaning I had better define my highest priorities.

I was able to win Artistic Creativity towards the end of the auction due to a lack of demand. By this time, I was willing to bid high because I was desperate to win at least one of my values, even though this was not first on my list. Artistic creativity is important to me because I enjoy being able to express myself and I believe this form of expression helps to keep a person well-rounded.

Other values I bid on included Help Society and Help Others. I would have bid on Moral Fulfillment, but before I could someone else had already placed a higher bid than what I had in my budget. These things are important to me because I feel like a job's value is based on so much more than salary. Many people spend most of their time in their occupation. I want what I do with my life to have real value and purpose aside from mere wages. Because of the gratitude I have for my Savior, and for the example He set during His mortal life, I want to set a goal of helping individuals and/or society as a whole. These priorities obviously do not mean that I am a perfect person who is selfless and righteous constantly. Rather, it means that I have decided on who I want to try to be and I hope to incorporate those goals in my career.
I also bid on Public Contact because I like working with people, despite being an introvert. I think having regular contact with other people during my job will help me remain sane and feel fulfilled. I think this will affect my major because it eliminates engineering and many other scientific jobs in which most of my work would be cold calculations.

I've always loved learning, and I hope to never cease to learn. Because of this, Knowledge was one of the values I bid on. I think I would be bored if my job was too routine and never required me to keep learning new things. I place a high value on knowledge because I believe it is one of the things that makes human beings remarkable.

Finally, the last value I bid on was Security. Unlike my other values, this one I chose for purely practical reasons. This course has made me realize that this value used to be on the top of my list even though I didn't realize it. I am not a stranger to financial hardships, and I think financial security has always been a fear of mine. Many outside sources, including family, have encouraged me to choose a career with strong financial security. I include this on my list because we live in a world ruled by money and it would be unwise to be financially vulnerable. However, this is no longer top of my list.

I think it will be difficult to integrate both Security and Artistic Creativity. If I have to forgo one or the other, I will give up Artistic Creativity since I will still be able to have hobbies that meet this value.

I truly don't know how I'm going to be able to include all these values in the job and major I choose. I believe that ultimately, God will lead me in the right path. I will be shocked if I can find a job that will incorporate all these things perfectly. If I do, that will be great. But we are not put on this earth to have everything we want. I know I will have to make compromises as I choose a career, but now I have a clearer idea of what my priorities will be which, I hope, will help me make a decision.

Me in 20 Years

Please answer the following prompts:

1      Tell us in one paragraph who you are. This is meant to be as completely open a question as possible. Whatever comes to mind for you when we ask, "Who are you?" is what we are looking for.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had a strong imagination. Nothing appeals to me as much as a good story, specifically, one with a close analysis of an admirable protagonist. So naturally, I wanted to be a writer from an early age. My first attempt at writing a novel was at age eight, and even though I was a long ways away from being able to complete that goal, it helped me develop my writing skills. Since then I have written a book and currently write whenever I get the chance.

2) It's the year 2035. You get to call the shots and dream about what life would be like if you knew you could not fail and you got to decide what happens. Answer the following questions in essay form (don't stress about the length, just take the space necessary to answer the questions below)

1. Where would you be living?

In a subdivision just outside of Salt Lake City

2. Would you be married/single?

I would be married to a good LDS man.

3. How many children would you have?

Five, ages 15-3

4. What would your job be?

Stay at home mom/author

5. What would you do as your hobbies/out of work/church activities?

Every week my family would go for a family bike ride or a picnic in the mountains. I would also do a lot of travelling with my family. We would go on annual educational /recreational trips to help facilitate my children’s learning (like going to Rome, Israel, New England, etc.).  

6. What would your church calling be? (We know we don't aspire to callings but it can be helpful in the exploration process to identify what you would be comfortable doing if you called the shots)

Young Women’s Leader

7. If you answered married above, what would your spouse's job be?

He would be an Aerospace Engineer.

8. If you answered married above, what would your spouse's church calling be?

He would be a Scout Leader.

2)      Lastly, were any of the questions hard to answer or difficult to put into words. Explain your experience answering them. If you did not struggle at all explain so if you did, do your best to let us know why you think that might be.

Answering these questions was an interesting exercise, because a lot of it I had not considered before. I wouldn’t really say any of the questions were too difficult, because for a lot of it I just put down something that seemed realistic . One thing I hadn’t considered too heavily was the dynamics involved in raising a family and working. I have always known that I want to be a mother, but raising children and maintaining a career can be a challenge. If I was an independent author, however, I could work from home and this wouldn’t be an issue.