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Career Services

Career and Major Exploration

What is a College Major?

A college major is a group of courses required by a college in order to receive a degree, an area you specialize in, like Accounting or Chemistry. There are certain "core courses" in the specialization that everyone is required to take, along with several "elective courses." A college major may be called an "academic major," "major," or "major concentration."

Advantages of Declaring a Major as Early as Possible

Choosing a major as soon as possible can save you time and money. Not only that, more UC & CSU campuses are requiring that students have the lower division courses for the major completed prior to transfer in order to be admitted to the university.

Declaring a major early will help you graduate on time, clarify academic requirements, plan coursework efficiently, increase opportunities for elective credits, and schedule an earlier registration date.

Choosing a Major

Choosing your major or career direction takes time and consideration. Many at Cabrillo College find their path through personal assessments, career tests, classes, workshops, with a counselor, or with materials found on the Academic and Career Counseling webpage. Find all of our available degrees and certificates here. One of our favorite online tools for exploring majors is What Can I Do With This Major?

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Many students enter college to explore options.

After all, college is about growth and learning, including exploring Academic and Career Pathways (CAPs). It’s not uncommon for students to enter with one goal, and change plans one or more times.

Decision-Making

Solid decisions are based on a combination of many things, including self-awareness, learning about options, and more.

Career Development Model

  • Know Yourself: Values, Interests, Strengths, Traits, Ambitions

  • Explore Options: Career Options for Degree, Industry Trends, Occupational Research

  • Get Focused: Action Planning, Goal Setting, Decision Making

  • Take Action: Gain Experience, Job Search Tools, Connect with Employers

Major & Career Exploration
Using Career Assessments

Career assessments are one of the tools we use in Major and Career exploration. They can help provide some direction in knowing which field may be interesting to pursue. Students can complete a free Interest Inventory through Career Coach.

For the best learner experience we encourage you to watch the quick tutorials for Career Coach. The Career Assessment and more can be found on the Career Web Resources page.

At Cabrillo we offer two formal Career Assessments inventories available for purchase: the Strong Interest Inventory & the Myers Briggs Type Inventory.

They are currently only offered through enrolling in a CG 54 class, Careers and Lifestyles. Here students will take a deep dive into each of the assessment reports paired with Career research and educational planning.

Career Coach

This is a new career exploration tool that allows you to access information on job titles, education paths, and job market data for the local region and expanded to include the Cabrillo's majors and programs.

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Career Planning and CG Classes

Counseling and Guidance (CG) courses are designed to assist students in making informed educational and career choices.

CG 54 - Careers and Lifestyles Facilitates the selection of a career goal and educational pathway through self analysis, human development, and occupational exploration; utilizes assessment of human traits and life span development.

CG 51 - Planning for Success Introduces the tools necessary to increase academic and life success including college expectations, resources, facilities, requirements, and educational planning.

CG 1 - College Success Integrates personal growth, learning techniques, problem solving, critical and creative thinking to enhance academic and career success.

📖For the current offerings, see the Schedule of Classes.

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Academic and Career Counseling

The college's Academic and Career Counseling Department provides comprehensive services that encourage the academic, personal, social, and career development of all students.

The Academic and Career Counseling Department provides courses and workshops in college success, career planning, study skills, essay writing, general transfer requirements, and other topics as needed. You can find out more on the Academic and Career Counseling webpage.

Academic and Career Counseling is also available for students developing a plan to enter a career field, occupational training, or transfer to a four-year university. For more information, or to set up an appointment, call (831) 479-6274 or (831) 479-6385 or email counselor@cabrillo.edu. Learn more about scheduling an appointment with an Academic Counselor.