Tài liệu 10 Best College Majors for Your Personality doc

Shatkin
10
College
Part of JIST’s Best Jobs
®
Series
$17.95 Higher in Canada
800-648-JIST | www.jist.com
How This Book Works
Take a look at Part I for information about personal-
ity types and how they relate to college majors. Com-
plete a brief assessment to discover your personality
type in Part II. Browse more than 90 best majors
lists in Part III to  nd the majors in your personal-
ity type that interest you most. Then look up their
descriptions in Part IV for details on college courses,
specializations in the major, descriptions of related
jobs, salary, and more. Simple.
Who Can Benefit from This Book? Planning four
or more years of education beyond high school and
want to  nd a major that  ts you? Researching your
future education and career options? Returning to
college but unsure which majors lead to the best
jobs? This book is ideal for people making important
education and career plans, as well as for educators,
counselors, and others advising them.
About the Author. Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., has 30
years in the career information  eld; presents and
blogs on career issues; and is the author of many
career and education books, including 50 Best Jobs
for Your Personality and Panicked Student’s Guide

to Choosing a College Major. He is frequently inter-
viewed by major media on trends in the world of
work. Follow him on Twitter at @LaurenceShatkin.
Match Your Personality to Best College Majors
Research has proven that matching your personality to a
major improves your satisfaction and success in college and
in your future career. This eye-opening book helps you
identify your personality type and the 10 best majors that
connect to it. Also uncover related jobs with the best pay
and growth that you are likely to be good at or enjoy.
Helpful Facts on Best Majors for
Your Personality
The author used the most up-to-date facts from govern-
ment and college sources in this volume. Besides the best
majors lists, the book includes information-packed descrip-
tions of more than 50 college majors, plus related jobs, for
the six personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic,
Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Among this book’s
many helpful facts:


The best Realistic major is Computer Engineering. Its
related jobs pay an average of $92,000, are growing at
23.1 percent, and have 10,109 openings per year.


Among the Social majors with the best job-opening
potential are Nursing (number 1, with 103,900 annual
openings in related jobs), Elementary Education (number
2, 59,560 openings), and Physical Education (number 4,

23,020 openings).


The best majors for extroverts include Medicine (number
1), Human Resources Management (number 6), and
International Business (number 9).
More than 250,000 Best Jobs books in print!
for
Your
10
Best College Majors
Part of JIST’s Best Jobs
®
Series
®
Personality
55+ Major Descriptions for 6 Personality Types

90+ Best Majors Lists, Including Majors Leading
to Jobs with the Best Pay and Fastest Growth
Part of JIST’s Best Jobs
®
Series
g
Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D.
Three Steps to Your Best College Major Options


Choose the best major for your personality
type: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social,

Enterprising, or Conventional.


Best majors lists for each personality type,
organized by potential pay, growth, and more.


Descriptions of majors and related jobs packed
with details on course sequence, pay, openings,
work tasks, and skills needed.
10
Par
t o
f J
IST
’s
Bes
t J
obs
®
Se
rie
s
®
Personality
Best College
Majors
for
Your
Second

Edition
Second
Edition
Second
Edition
“Picking a major is anything but simple. If you are undecided about your major
and what you want to do in life, this book can help you sort it out.” Campus Talk magazine
Best College Majors
for Your

Personality
10 Best Coll Maj 2E cover.indd 110 Best Coll Maj 2E cover.indd 1 4/6/11 8:43:50 AM4/6/11 8:43:50 AM
Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D.
Also in JIST’s Best Jobs® Series


Best Jobs for the 21st Century


200 Best Jobs for College Graduates


300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree


200 Best Jobs  rough Apprenticeships


50 Best Jobs for Your Personality


40 Best Fields for Your Career


225 Best Jobs for Baby Boomers


250 Best-Paying Jobs


150 Best Jobs for Your Skills


150 Best Jobs  rough Military Training


150 Best Jobs for a Better World


200 Best Jobs for Introverts


150 Best Low-Stress Jobs
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality, Second Edition
© 2011 by JIST Publishing
Published by JIST Works, an imprint of JIST Publishing
7321 Shadeland Station, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46256-3923
Phone: 800-648-JIST Fax: 877-454-7839
E-mail: Web site: www.jist.com

Some Other Books by the Author
Best Jobs for the 21st Century
200 Best Jobs for College Graduates
300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree
200 Best Jobs  rough Apprenticeships
50 Best Jobs for Your Personality
40 Best Fields for Your Career
225 Best Jobs for Baby Boomers
250 Best-Paying Jobs
150 Best Jobs for a Better World
200 Best Jobs for Introverts
Quantity discounts are available for JIST products. Please call our sales department at 800-648-JIST for a free catalog and more
information.
Visit www.jist.com for information on JIST, free job search information, tables of contents, sample pages, and ordering information
on our many products.
Acquisitions Editor: Susan Pines
Development Editor: Stephanie Koutek
Cover and Interior Designer: Aleata Halbig
Cover Photo: Adam Kaz, iStock
Interior Layout: Aleata Halbig
Proofreaders: Laura Bowman, Jeanne Clark
Indexer: Kelly D. Henthorne
Printed in the United States of America
16 15 14 13 12 11 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shatkin, Laurence.
10 best college majors for your personality / Laurence Shatkin. 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-59357-863-3 (alk. paper)

1. College majors United States. 2. Vocational guidance United
States. I. Title.
LB2361.5.S528 2011
378.2’41 dc22
2011010829
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system,
without prior permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Making copies of
any part of this book for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of United States copyright laws. For permission
requests, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at www.copyright.com or (978) 750-8400.
We have been careful to provide accurate information throughout this book, but it is possible that errors and omissions have been
introduced. Please consider this in making any career plans or other important decisions. Trust your own judgment above all else and
in all things.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
ISBN 978-1-59357-863-3
This Is a Big Book, But It Is
Very Easy to Use
Psychologists often use the concept of personality as a convenient
way of summarizing many characteristics of a person. It can be
especially useful when you’re making decisions about your education
and your career.
What kind of personality do you have? Forget about common labels such as
“happy-go-lucky,” “dependable,” “even-tempered,” “friendly,” or “funny.”  ese
might help you get a date on Saturday night, but they’re not much help in
choosing a college major.
 at’s where this book can help. Learn about the personality types that many
psychologists and guidance practitioners use to describe people, college majors,
and careers. Take a quick assessment to help you clarify your dominant personality
type.  en dig into a gold mine of facts about the college majors that are the
best fi t for your personality type—and that are the best for other reasons, such

as their potential for income and job openings. Lists of “best majors” will suggest
promising majors that you may never have considered. Turn to the descriptive
profi les of the majors to learn what courses to expect, what specializations you may
choose from, and what jobs may be open to you when you graduate. Get detailed
facts about these jobs, based on the latest government data.
You’re probably expecting college to improve your earning potential. So why not
fi nd a major that suits your personality and has outstanding economic potential?
 is book can show you the way.
Some Things You Can Do with This Book


Explore and select a college major that relates to a career objective that suits your
personality.


Learn about college majors that previously were unfamiliar to you.


Understand what majors are good preparation for a career you already have in
mind.


Learn key facts about jobs that may be a good fi t for your personality.
 ese are a few of the many ways you can use this book. I hope you fi nd it as
interesting to browse as I did to put together. I have tried to make it easy to use
and as interesting as possible.
When you are done with this book, pass it along or tell someone else about it. I
wish you well in your education, in your career, and in your life.
iv
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works

Credits and Acknowledgments: While the author created this book, it is based on the work of many others. The occupational
information is based on data obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau. These sources provide the most
authoritative occupational information available. The noneconomic job-related information is from the O*NET database, which was
developed by researchers and developers under the direction of the U.S. Department of Labor. They, in turn, were assisted by thousands
of employers who provided details on the nature of work in the many thousands of job samplings used in the database’s development.
We used the most recent version of the O*NET database, release 15. We appreciate and thank the staff of the U.S. Department of Labor
for their efforts and expertise in providing such a rich source of data. The taxonomy of college majors (the Classi cation of Instructional
Programs) is from the U.S. Department of Education.
v
Table of Contents
Summary of Major Sections
Introduction. A short overview to help you better
understand and use the book. Starts on page 1.
Part I. Your Personality and Your Major. Pro-
vides an overview of personality and of personality
types.  is section also explores the relationship
between personality and college majors. Starts on
page 15.
Part II. What’s Your Personality Type? Take An
Assessment. Helps you discover your personality
type with a short, easy-to-complete assessment.
Starts on page 21.
Part III.  e Best Majors Lists. Very useful for
exploring college majors! Lists are arranged into
easy-to-use groups based on personality types.  e
fi rst group of lists presents the 10 best majors for
each personality type. Other lists identify, for each
personality type, majors linked to jobs with the
highest earnings, the fastest job growth, and the
most job openings. More-specialized lists follow,

ranking majors related to jobs by education level,
majors linked to best jobs by worker demographics,
and majors that prepare for jobs requiring either
high or low math and verbal skills.  e column
starting on the right presents all the list titles.
Starts on page 31.
Part IV. Descriptions of the Best College
Majors for Your Personality. Provides complete
descriptions of the majors that appear on the lists in
Part III, plus fi ve related majors. Each description
contains information on specializations and college
and high school courses, plus defi nitions and key
facts for related jobs. Starts on page 91.
Appendix A. Resources for Further Exploration.
Starts on page 283.
Appendix B. Majors Sorted by  ree-Letter
Personality Code. Starts on page 285.
Appendix C.  e Career Clusters and Pathways.
Starts on page 287.
Appendix D. Defi nitions of Skills Used in
Descriptions of Majors. Starts on page 297.
Detailed Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Factors to Consider When You Choose a Major 1
How to Use  is Book 2
Where the Information Came From 3
How the Majors in  is Book Were Selected 7
A Sample Description of a Major 9
Part I: Your Personality and Your Major 15
Why Personality Is Useful for Choosing

a Major 15
 e RIASEC Personality Types 16
Part II: What’s Your Personality Type? Take
an Assessment 21
Step 1: Respond to the Statements 22
Step 2: Score Your Responses 29
Step 3: Find College Majors that Suit Your
Personality Type 29
Part III: The Best Majors Lists 31
Some Details on the Lists 32
Best Majors Overall for Each Personality Type:
Majors Related to Jobs with the Highest Pay,
Fastest Growth, and Most Openings 33
 e 10 Best Realistic Majors 34
 e 10 Best Investigative Majors 35
 e 10 Best Artistic Majors 35
 e 10 Best Social Majors 36
 e 10 Best Enterprising Majors 36
 e 10 Best Conventional Majors 37
 e 5 Realistic Majors with the Best Income
Potential 38
 e 5 Investigative Majors with the Best
Income Potential 38
 e 5 Artistic Majors with the Best Income
Potential 39
 e 5 Social Majors with the Best Income
Potential 39
 e 5 Enterprising Majors with the Best
Income Potential 39
Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________

vi
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
 e 5 Conventional Majors with the Best
Income Potential 40
 e 5 Realistic Majors with the Best
Job-Growth Potential 40
 e 5 Investigative Majors with the Best
Job-Growth Potential 41
 e 5 Artistic Majors with the Best
Job-Growth Potential 41
 e 5 Social Majors with the Best
Job-Growth Potential 41
 e 5 Enterprising Majors with the Best
Job-Growth Potential 42
 e 5 Conventional Majors with the Best
Job-Growth Potential 42
 e 5 Realistic Majors with the Best
Job-Opening Potential 43
 e 5 Investigative Majors with the Best
Job-Opening Potential 43
 e 5 Artistic Majors with the Best
Job-Opening Potential 43
 e 5 Social Majors with the Best
Job-Opening Potential 44
 e 5 Enterprising Majors with the Best
Job-Opening Potential 44
 e 5 Conventional Majors with the Best
Job-Opening Potential 44
Best Majors Lists by Demographic 45
Best Realistic Majors Related to Jobs with

a High Percentage of Self-Employed
Workers 46
Best Investigative Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Self-Employed
Workers 46
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs with
a High Percentage of Self-Employed
Workers 46
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs with
a High Percentage of Self-Employed
Workers 47
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Self-Employed
Workers 47
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Self-Employed
Workers 47
Best Realistic Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 60 Percent or More Urban
Workers 49
Best Investigative Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 60 Percent or More Urban
Workers 49
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 60 Percent or More Urban
Workers 49
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 60 Percent or More Urban
Workers 50
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs

Employing 60 Percent or More Urban
Workers 50
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 60 Percent or More Urban
Workers 51
Best Realistic Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 6 Percent or More Rural
Workers 51
Best Investigative Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 6 Percent or More Rural
Workers 52
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 6 Percent or More Rural
Workers 52
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs Employing
6 Percent or More Rural Workers 52
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 6 Percent or More Rural
Workers 53
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
Employing 6 Percent or More Rural
Workers 53
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs with a
High Percentage of Women 54
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs with a
High Percentage of Women 55
________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents
vii
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs

with a High Percentage of Women 55
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Women 55
Best Realistic Majors Related to Jobs with a
High Percentage of Men 56
Best Investigative Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Men 56
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs with
a High Percentage of Men 57
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs with
a High Percentage of Men 57
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Men 57
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
with a High Percentage of Men 57
Best Majors Related to Jobs at Diff erent
Levels of Education 58
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require
Long-Term On-the-Job Training 59
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require a
Bachelor’s Degree 60
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require
Work Experience Plus Degree 61
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require a
Master’s Degree 62
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require a
Doctoral Degree 63
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require a
First Professional Degree 63
Best Majors Lists by Verbal and Math Skills 64

Realistic Majors Related to Jobs that Require
the Highest Level of Verbal Skills 65
Investigative Majors Related to Jobs that
Require the Highest Level of Verbal Skills 65
Artistic Majors Related to Jobs that Require
the Highest Level of Verbal Skills 66
Social Majors Related to Jobs that Require
the Highest Level of Verbal Skills 66
Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs that
Require the Highest Level of Verbal Skills 66
Conventional Majors Related to Jobs that
Require the Highest Level of Verbal Skills 67
Best Realistic Majors Related to Jobs that
Require a High Level of Verbal Skills 67
Best Investigative Majors Related to Jobs
that Require a High Level of Verbal Skills 67
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs that
Require a High Level of Verbal Skills 68
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs that
Require a High Level of Verbal Skills 68
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs
that Require a High Level of Verbal Skills 69
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
that Require a High Level of Verbal Skills 69
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require a
Low Level of Verbal Skills 70
Realistic Majors Related to Jobs that Require
the Highest Level of Math Skills 71
Investigative Majors Related to Jobs that
Require the Highest Level of Math Skills 71

Artistic Majors Related to Jobs that Require
the Highest Level of Math Skills 71
Social Majors Related to Jobs that Require
the Highest Level of Math Skills 72
Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs that
Require the Highest Level of Math Skills 72
Conventional Majors Related to Jobs that
Require the Highest Level of Math Skills 72
Best Realistic Majors Related to Jobs that
Require a High Level of Math Skills 73
Best Investigative Majors Related to Jobs
that Require a High Level of Math Skills 73
Best Artistic Majors Related to Jobs that
Require a High Level of Math Skills 73
Best Social Majors Related to Jobs that
Require a High Level of Math Skills 74
Best Enterprising Majors Related to Jobs
that Require a High Level of Math Skills 74
Best Conventional Majors Related to Jobs
that Require a High Level of Math Skills 74
Best Majors Related to Jobs that Require a
Low Level of Math Skills 76
Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________
viii
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
Bonus Lists: Best Majors that May Appeal to
Other Aspects of Your Personality 77
Best Majors for Introverts 78
Best Majors for Extroverts 79
Best Majors for Persistent People 80

Best Majors for Sensitive People 81
Best Majors for People with Self-Control 82
Best Majors for Stress-Tolerant People 83
Best Majors for Flexible People 84
Best Majors for Detail-Oriented People 85
Best Majors for Innovators 86
Best Majors for Analytical  inkers 87
Best Majors Related to Jobs Not Behind
a Desk 88
Best Majors Related to World-Improving
Jobs 89
Part IV: Descriptions of the Best College
Majors for Your Personality 91
Realistic Majors 93
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering 93
Related Jobs 93
1. Aerospace Engineers 93
2. Engineering Managers 94
Civil Engineering 95
Related Jobs 96
1. Civil Engineers 96
2. Engineering Managers 98
Computer Engineering 99
Dentistry 99
Environmental Science 99
Geology 99
Related Jobs 100
1. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and
Geographers 100
2. Hydrologists 101

3. Natural Sciences Managers 101
Geophysics 103
Related Jobs 103
1. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and
Geographers 103
2. Natural Sciences Managers 104
Mic r obi ol ogy 106
Related Jobs 107
1. Medical Scientists, Except
Epidemiologists 107
2. Microbiologists 107
3. Natural Sciences Managers 108
Oc ean og raph y 109
Related Jobs 110
1. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and
Geographers 110
2. Hydrologists 111
3. Natural Sciences Managers 111
Veterinary Medicine 113
Investigative Majors 114
Bi oche mi st r y 114
Related Jobs 114
1. Biochemists and Biophysicists 114
2. Medical Scientists, Except
Epidemiologists 115
3. Natural Sciences Managers 116
Computer Engineering 117
Related Jobs 118
1. Computer Hardware Engineers 118
2. Computer Software Engineers,

Applicat ions 119
3. Computer Software Engineers, Systems
Software 119
4. Computer Specialists, All Other 120
5. Engineering Managers 128
Computer Science 129
Related Jobs 130
1. Computer and Information Scientists,
Research 130
________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents
ix
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
2. Computer and Information Systems
Managers 130
3. Computer Software Engineers,
Applicat ions 131
4. Computer Software Engineers, Systems
Software 131
5. Computer Specialists, All Other 132
6. Database Administrators 139
7. Network and Computer Systems
Adm inistrators 140
8. Network Systems and Data
Communications Analysts 141
Dentistry 142
Related Jobs 143
Dentists, General 143
Economics 144
Related Jobs 144
1. Economists 144

2. Market Research Analysts 145
3. Survey Researchers 146
Environmental Science 147
Related Jobs 148
1. Environmental Science and Protection
Technicians, Including Health 148
2. Environmental Scientists and
Specialists, Including Health 148
Medicine 150
Related Jobs 152
Physicians and Surgeons 152
Optometry 160
Related Jobs 160
Optometrists 160
Pharmacy 161
Related Jobs 162
Pharmacists 162
Veterinary Medicine 163
Related Jobs 163
Veterinarians 163
Artistic Majors 165
Architecture 165
Related Jobs 166
1. Architects, Except Landscape and
Naval 166
2. Engineering Managers 166
Chinese 167
Related Jobs 168
Interpreters and Translators 168
Classics 168

Related Jobs 169
1. Anthropologists and Archeologists 169
2. Interpreters and Translators 170
Fre nc h 171
Related Jobs 172
Interpreters and Translators 172
German 172
Related Jobs 173
Interpreters and Translators 173
Graphic Design, Commercial Art, and
Illustration 173
Related Jobs 175
1. Commercial and Industrial Designers 175
2. Computer Programmers 175
3. Computer Specialists, All Other 176
4. Graphic Designers 183
5. Multi-Media Artists and Animators 184
6. Set and Exhibit Designers 184
Interior Design 185
Related Jobs 185
Interior Designers 185
Japanese 186
Related Jobs 187
Interpreters and Translators 187
Modern Foreign Language 187
Related Jobs 188
Interpreters and Translators 188
Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________
x
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works

Russian 189
Related Jobs 189
Interpreters and Translators 189
Spanish 190
Related Jobs 191
Interpreters and Translators 191
Social Majors 192
African-American Studies 192
Related Jobs 192
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies
Teachers, Postsecondary 192
American Studies 193
Related Jobs 194
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies
Teachers, Postsecondary 194
Area Studies 194
Related Jobs 195
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies
Teachers, Postsecondary 195
Chiropractic 196
Related Jobs 197
Chiropractors 197
Communications Studies/Speech 197
Related Jobs 198
1. Public Address System and Other
Announcers 198
2. Public Relations Specialists 199
3. Technical Writers 199
4. Writers and Authors 200
Elementary Education 201

Related Jobs 202
Elementary School Teachers, Except
Special Education 202
Graduate Study for College Teaching 202
Related Jobs 203
Postsecondary Teachers 203
Hum ani tie s 20 8
Related Jobs 209
Postsecondary Teachers 209
Nursing (R.N. Training) 211
Related Jobs 212
Registered Nurses 212
Occupational  erapy 214
Related Jobs 215
Occupational  erapists 215
Physical Education 216
Related Jobs 217
1. Coaches and Scouts 217
2. Middle School Teachers, Except Special
and Vocational Education 217
3. Secondary School Teachers, Except
Special and Vocational Education 218
Physical  erapy 218
Related Jobs 219
Physical  erapists 219
Physician Assisting 220
Related Jobs 221
Physician Assistants 221
Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology 222

Related Jobs 222
1. Audiologists 222
2. Speech-Language Pathologists 223
Women’s Studies 223
Related Jobs 224
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies
Teachers, Postsecondary 224
Enterprising Majors 226
Bioengineering 226
Related Jobs 226
1. Biomedical Engineers 226
2. Engineering Managers 227
Biology 22 8
Related Jobs 229
Natural Sciences Managers 229
Botany 231
Related Jobs 231
Natural Sciences Managers 231
________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents
xi
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
Business Management 233
Related Jobs 234
1. Administrative Services Managers 234
2. Chief Executives 234
3. Construction Managers 236
4. Cost Estimators 236
5. General and Operations Managers 237
6. Industrial Production Managers 237
7. Management Analysts 241

8. Sales Managers 241
9. Social and Community Service
Managers 242
10. Transportation, Storage, and
Distribution Managers 243
Health Information Systems
Ad min is t rat ion 24 4
Related Jobs 245
Medical and Health Services Managers 245
Human Resources Management 246
Related Jobs 247
1. Compensation and Benefi ts Managers 247
2. Compensation, Benefi ts, and Job
Analysis Specialists 248
3. Employment, Recruitment, and
Placement Specialists 248
4. Training and Development Managers 249
5. Training and Development Specialists 250
International Business 250
Related Jobs 251
1. Chief Executives 251
2. General and Operations Managers 252
La w 253
Related Jobs 254
1. Administrative Law Judges,
Adjudicators, and Hearing Offi cers 254
2. Arbitrators, Mediators, and
Conc iliator s 255
3. Judges, Magistrate Judges, and
Magist r ate s 255

4. Law Clerks 256
5. Lawyers 256
Management Information Systems 257
Related Jobs 258
1. Computer and Information Systems
Managers 258
2. Computer Programmers 258
3. Database Administrators 259
Public Relations 259
Related Jobs 260
1. Advertising and Promotions
Managers 260
2. Public Relations Managers 261
3. Public Relations Specialists 262
Conventional Majors 263
Accounting 263
Related Jobs 263
1. Accountants and Auditors 263
2. Budget Analysts 265
3. Credit Analysts 265
4. Financial Examiners 266
5. Tax Examiners, Collectors, and
Revenue Agents 266
Actuarial Science 267
Related Jobs 268
Actuaries 268
Business Management 268
Computer Science 268
Finance 268
Related Jobs 269

1. Budget Analysts 269
2. Credit Analysts 270
3. Financial Analysts 270
4. Financial Managers 270
5. Loan Offi cers 272
6. Personal Financial Advisors 272
Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________
xii
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
International Business 273
Management Information Systems 273
Marketing 273
Related Jobs 274
1. Advertising and Promotions
Managers 274
2. Marketing Managers 275
3. Sales Managers 275
Pharmacy 276
Public Administration 276
Related Jobs 277
1. Administrative Services Managers 277
2. Chief Executives 277
3. Emergency Management Specialists 279
4. General and Operations Managers 279
5. Legislators 280
6. Postmasters and Mail
Supe rint end ent s 28 0
7. Social and Community Service
Managers 281
8. Transportation, Storage, and

Distribution Managers 281
Appendix A: Resources for Further
Exploration 283
Facts About Majors and Careers 283
Educational and Career Decision Making
and Planning 284
Appendix B: Majors Sorted by Three-Letter
Personality Code 285
Appendix C: The Career Clusters and
Pathways 287
Appendix D: De nitions of Skills Used in
Descriptions of Majors 297
Index 299
1
Introduction
C
hoosing a major can be scary. It’s not a simple either/or decision, like choosing a car
with either stick shift or automatic. It means a commitment of several years and,
in most cases, a great amount of money. Although it’s a personal decision, your friends
and relatives will probably feel free to second-guess it. How can you sort out all of the
possible choices and pick one that’s right for you?
 is book can help. It won’t tell you what to do, but it will guide you to the information
you need to make an intelligent choice—information about yourself, about majors, and
about careers.
Many successful careers begin with an associate (two-year) degree, but workers with a
bachelor’s have 26 percent higher earnings and 23 percent less unemployment, so this
book focuses on majors that require four or more years of education beyond high school.
Factors to Consider When You Choose
a Major
When you’re trying to choose a major, a good place to start is to think about why

you’re going to college at all. Some people have trivial reasons for going to college, and
choosing a major is easy for them. For example, if you’re going to college because all
of your friends are going, then choose the same major that your best friends choose.
If you’re going because you think that’s where the really cool social scene is, study
whatever’s easiest for you so your coursework won’t interfere with your social life.
But most people who go to college have a more important reason: making themselves
more employable in the future.  ey view college as an investment of time and money
that will pay off through future employment opportunities. Whether they are planning
for a specifi c job goal or a general area of employment, they expect that a college degree
will result in higher earnings and less time spent unemployed. And they’re right about
this. In fact, the economic value of a college education continues to grow.
Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________
2
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
 erefore, an important factor to consider when you choose a college major is the
potential economic rewards of the major. Diff erent majors promise diff erent earnings
and job opportunities.  is book can help with your decision because it ranks majors in
terms of their potential economic rewards, based on the latest information available from
the U.S. Department of Labor.
But money alone can’t buy happiness. It would not be wise to decide on how to invest
the time, money, and energy you’re devoting to college simply by selling them to the
highest bidder. Instead, you should consider the following additional factors when you
think about choosing a college major:


What majors are interesting to you?


What majors are consistent with your skills?


What majors match your preferences for styles and locations of learning?
 is is a lot to consider, but fortunately there is a shortcut that can summarize these
various noneconomic factors: personality. Career professionals and academic advisors
often use an analysis of personality that focuses on six major types, referred to by the
six-letter abbreviation RIASEC. Developed by occupational researcher John L. Holland,
RIASEC stands for the personality types that he identifi ed: Realistic, Investigative,
Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. (Part I discusses this scheme in detail.)
Once you identify your personality type and match it to college majors, as this book will
help you do, you can identify majors that suit your interests, your skills, and how and
where you enjoy learning.
How to Use This Book
 is is a book that you can dive right into:


If you don’t know much about what personality types are, you’ll want to read
Part I, which is an overview of the theory behind using personality types as a way of
making choices about college majors and careers. You’ll also see defi nitions of the six
personality types that are used in this book.


If you want to understand your own personality type, you’ll want to do the
assessment in Part II. It takes only 20 or 30 minutes to complete and can guide you
to majors that suit you.


If you like lists and want an easy way to compare majors, you should turn to Part
III. Here you can browse lists showing the 10 majors for each personality type that
are linked to jobs with the best pay, the fastest growth, and the most job openings.
You can see these “best majors” broken down in various ways, such as by amount of

education required.
3
____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works


For detailed information about majors, turn to Part IV and read the profi les
of the majors. I include 57 majors and itemize their specializations, their course
requirements, characteristics of related jobs, and other facts that go beyond what
you can learn from the lists in Part III. Because the descriptions are organized by
personality type, you may fi nd it helpful to browse within a section that fi ts you
and become acquainted with unfamiliar majors that may deserve consideration.  e
information about related jobs may also open your eyes to options that are new to
you.
On the other hand, if you like to do things in a methodical way, you may want to read
the sections in order:


Part I will give you useful background on how personality type can be a guide in
choosing a major and career.


 e assessment in Part II will help you identify your dominant personality type.


With a clearer understanding of your personality type, you can browse the
appropriate lists of “best majors” in Part III and take notes on the majors that have
the greatest appeal for you. If you fi nd yourself bordering between two personality
types, as many people do (for example, Investigative and Artistic), you may look at
the lists for both types or turn to Appendix B for a complete list of majors by three-

letter (primary and secondary) codes.


 en you can look up the descriptions of these majors in Part IV and narrow down
your list. Ask yourself these questions: Do the required courses interest me? Do the
related jobs look rewarding? Can I handle the amount of education that these jobs
will require?
Of course, no single book can tell you everything you need to know about college
majors and careers.  at’s why you will probably want to confi rm your tentative choices
by using some of the resources listed in Appendix A. Other appendixes will help you
understand some of the terms used in the Part IV descriptions.
Where the Information Came From
Because this book is about both college majors and the jobs they are related to, it uses
information from a variety of sources.
 e Classifi cation of Instructional Programs, developed by the U.S. Department of
Education, provided a standard title and defi nition for each major.
 e information for the “Typical Sequence of College Courses” is derived from research
into course requirements listed on college Web sites.  e courses are those that appeared
Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________
4
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
on several sites and were commonly required for the majors.  e number of courses listed
often varies. Some majors have fairly standard requirements that can be listed in detail;
in some cases, a professional association mandates that certain courses be included. For
other majors, notably the interdisciplinary subjects (such as Humanities or American
Studies, which straddle several departments), requirements are either so minimal or so
varied that it is diffi cult to list more than a handful of typical courses.
 e “Typical Sequence of High School Courses” sections are based on a general
understanding of which high school courses are considered prerequisites for the college-
level courses required by the major.

You should be aware that course requirements and prerequisites for majors vary widely
from one college to another.  e descriptions outline average requirements, but before
you declare a major you need to be aware of all the courses that your college (or your
intended college) requires. For example, most colleges do not require a course in
thermodynamics as part of their bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering.
However, Iowa State University does, and so do some other colleges. Some colleges
require all students to take certain core courses in writing, public speaking, math, or
religion, and these core courses often are not refl ected in this book’s descriptions of
majors.
 e job-related information came from databases and books created by the U.S.
Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau.  e defi nitions, work tasks,
personality (RIASEC) types, skills (including verbal and math), and work conditions are
derived from the Department of Labor’s O*NET (Occupational Information Network)
database, which is now the primary source of detailed information on occupations.  e
Labor Department updates the O*NET on a regular basis, and I used the most recent
one available—O*NET release 15.
 e information about earnings; growth; number of openings; and workers who are self-
employed, urban, rural, male, and female is based on fi gures from the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) and the U.S. Census Bureau.
As you look at the economic and demographic fi gures, keep in mind that they are
estimates.  ey give you a general idea about the number of workers employed, annual
earnings, rate of job growth, annual job openings, and composition of the workforce.
When you see these fi gures, you may sometimes wonder how to interpret them: Is
$60,000 a good yearly salary? Is 15 percent job growth considered slow or fast? What
number of job openings represents a good job market? It helps to compare these fi gures
for any one occupation to the national averages. For all workers in all occupations, the
median earnings (half earned more and half less) were $33,190 in May 2009. For the
92 occupations linked to the majors described in this book, the average earnings were
about $78,000. (Later in this introduction, I explain how averages for earnings were
computed.)

5
____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
For the 782 occupations for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth
over the 10-year period ending in 2018, the average fi gure is 10.1 percent, but for the 92
occupations described in this book, the average is 14.0 percent.
For these same 782 occupations, the average number of job openings each year is about
6,400, whereas for the 92 occupations in this book, the average is about 4,200. If that
diff erence surprises you, think about what you fi nd when you read the help-wanted
advertisements. Most of the jobs require considerably less than a bachelor’s degree.
On the other hand, most of these non–college-level jobs also are not as rewarding or
fulfi lling as you want; that’s why you’re reading this book.
When you see fi gures in this book describing jobs, remember that they always describe
an average and therefore have limitations. Just as there is no precisely average person,
there is no such thing as a statistically average example of a particular job. I say this
because data, while helpful, can also be misleading.
Take, for example, the yearly earnings information about related jobs in this book.  e
employment security agency of each state gathers information on earnings for various
jobs and forwards it to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  is information is organized
in standardized ways by a BLS program called Occupational Employment Statistics, or
OES. To keep the earnings for the various jobs and regions comparable, the OES screens
out certain types of earnings and includes others, so the OES earnings I use in this book
represent straight-time gross pay exclusive of premium pay. More specifi cally, the OES
earnings include the job’s base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-
duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; on-call pay;
and tips but do not include back pay, jury duty pay, overtime pay, severance pay, shift
diff erentials, non-production bonuses, or tuition reimbursements. Also, self-employed
workers are not included in the estimates, and they can be a signifi cant segment in
certain occupations.
 is OES-derived information on earnings is very accurate for identifying the median,

but remember that half of all people in the occupation earn less than the median.
For example, people who are new to the occupation or with only a few years of work
experience often earn much less than the median amount. People who live in rural areas
or who work for smaller employers typically earn less than those who do similar work
in cities (where the cost of living is higher) or for bigger employers. People in certain
areas of the country earn less than those in others. Other factors also infl uence how
much you are likely to earn in a given job in your area. For example, dentists in the
New York metropolitan area earn an average of $101,480 per year, whereas dentists in six
metropolitan areas in North Carolina earn an average of more than $129,631 per year.
Although the cost of living tends to be higher in the New York area, North Carolina
until recently had only one dentistry school, and therefore dentists there experience less
competition for patients and can command higher fees. So you can see that many factors
can cause earnings to vary widely.
Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________
6
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
It’s especially tricky to assign an average earnings fi gure to college majors, as I did to
create the lists in Part I of this book. Understand that this fi gure is not based on the
actual earnings of people who have completed the major, but rather on the earnings of
people in the occupations that graduates are most likely to enter. Most majors prepare
graduates to enter more than one occupation, so I needed to compute an earnings fi gure
that would represent an average among these occupations. One factor I wanted to take
into account was the size of the workforce, giving greater weight to occupations with
larger workforces. However, I also wanted to diminish the weight of an occupation if
graduates from the major are less likely to enter that occupation.  erefore, I ranked
each occupation by its likelihood as an outcome of the major, based on a general
understanding of how people prepare for the occupation, and I divided the workforce
size by the square of this ranking. (For example, I divided the workforce of the second-
ranked occupation by 4.) I used this weighting, rather than the raw workforce size, in
computing the average.

Another limitation of the earnings fi gures is that the OES survey does not report annual
earnings fi gures for some occupations with highly irregular income, such as Actors, so
I could not factor their earnings into an average for the associated majors. OES reports
only “more than $166,400” for certain highly paid jobs, such as Anesthesiologists, so
I used the fi gure $166,400 in computing the average for the majors linked to these
occupations.
To refl ect the imprecision of the earnings averages for majors, I rounded the dollar
fi gures to the nearest $1,000.
 e fi gures for job growth and number of openings for occupations are projections
by labor economists—their best guesses about what we can expect between now and
2018.  ey are not guarantees. A major economic downturn, war, or technological
breakthrough could change the actual outcome.  ese fi gures also are averages for the
10-year period preceding 2018; at various times during that period, occupations may be
growing faster or more slowly than the average.
Computing the average growth and total job openings for college majors presented the
same problem as computing average earnings, so I used the same solution: I weighted the
fi gures by dividing the occupation’s workforce size by the square of its ranking as a likely
outcome of the major. Less-likely occupations counted for less of the projected growth or
openings.
Finally, don’t forget that the job market for the occupations described here consists of
both job openings and job seekers.  e fi gures on job growth and openings don’t tell
you how many people will be competing with you to be hired.  e Department of
Labor does not publish fi gures on the supply of job candidates, so I can’t tell you about
the level of competition you can expect. Competition is an important issue that you
7
____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
should research for any tentative career goal. In some cases, the Occupational Outlook
Handbook provides informative statements. You should speak to people who educate or
train tomorrow’s workers; they probably have a good idea of how many of their graduates

fi nd rewarding employment and how quickly. People in the workforce also can provide
insights into this issue. Use your critical thinking skills to evaluate what people tell you.
For example, recruiters for training programs are highly motivated to get you to sign up,
whereas people in the workforce may be trying to discourage you from competing. Get a
variety of opinions to balance out possible biases.
So, in reviewing the information in this book, please understand the limitations of the
data. You need to use common sense in making decisions about education and careers as
in most other things in life. I hope that, using that approach, you fi nd the information
helpful and interesting.
How the Majors in This Book Were
Selected
Study the catalog or Web site of any large university and you’ll fi nd dozens of majors
listed. I wanted to save you time by identifying the best commonly off ered majors
associated with each personality type.
Here is the procedure I followed to select the 51 majors (10 for each personality type,
with some appearing on multiple lists) that I included in the lists in this book:
1. I began with the descriptions of 120 college majors that were developed for an earlier
book, Panicked Student’s Guide to Choosing a College Major (JIST Publishing).  ese
covered the most commonly off ered programs at the bachelor’s or professional level.
I matched these 120 majors to O*NET occupations by using the recommended
matches made by the National Center for O*NET Development, with one slight
modifi cation: I removed the postsecondary teaching jobs.  eoretically, students
in any major can go on to teach the subject in college—for example, some
Electrical Engineering majors aspire to do what their professors are doing rather
than work in industry—but this number is diffi cult to determine and usually
quite small. Furthermore, job-outlook information is not available for each of the
36 postsecondary teaching jobs included in O*NET; it is available only for the
combined occupation Postsecondary Teachers.  erefore, it made sense to create
the pseudo-major “Graduate Study for College Teaching” as an option for those
who want to use their education for that career goal. I linked “Graduate Study for

College Teaching” to the combined occupation Postsecondary Teachers.
2. O*NET provides two kinds of information on RIASEC personality types: It identifi es
the dominant RIASEC type or types for every job and it gives every job a numerical
Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________
8
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
rating on all six RIASEC types. When a major was linked to a single job, I used
the dominant RIASEC type or types that O*NET assigned to the related job.
When a major was linked to more than one job, I averaged the numerical ratings of
each of the six RIASEC types for all of the related jobs. (I determined a weighted
average, using a formula based on the size of the workforce and the likelihood of the
occupation as an outcome of the major, as explained earlier in this introduction.) I
used the highest-rated RIASEC type as the primary type. I subtracted the rating
for the second-highest-rated RIASEC type from the rating for the highest type
and calculated the ratio of this remainder to the sum of all six ratings. If this ratio
was higher than 0.17, I used the two highest-rated types. I performed the same
calculation for the third-highest-rated type and applied the same cutoff of 0.17 to
determine whether to use all three highest-rated types.  ese were the same rules
that the O*NET developers used to identify the top RIASEC type(s) for individual
occupations.
3. Based on the O*NET data, I created lists of majors for each of the six RIASEC types.
For the Investigative, Artistic, Social, and Enterprising types, I was able to create
suffi ciently large pools of majors on the basis of the primary type. On the other
hand, only a few majors had Realistic or Conventional as their primary type, so the
pool of R and C majors also needed to include those with Realistic or Conventional
as their second-highest-rated type. As a result, a few majors ended up on more than
one list. For example, the top-rated Conventional major, Pharmacy, actually has
Conventional as its secondary personality type. Its primary type is Investigative, so it
also appears as the fourth-ranked major on the list of Investigative majors.
4. To be able to sort these preliminary lists and determine the “best” majors, I computed

the economic potential of each major by assembling three kinds of economic
information about the jobs related to majors: the annual earnings, the job growth
projected for a 10-year period ending in 2018, and the average number of job
openings expected annually during that same time span. When more than one job
was linked to a major, I computed a weighted average for earnings and job growth in
related jobs and computed the total number of annual openings in related jobs. My
method of weighting is explained earlier in this introduction.
5. I ranked the majors in each of the six lists on each of these three measures of
economic potential: by earning potential, by potential job growth, and by potential
job openings. I then added the numerical ranks for each major in each list to
produce an overall score. To emphasize majors leading to jobs with the best
economic rewards, I selected the 10 majors from each list with the best numerical
9
____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
scores.  ese majors are the focus of this book. Because some majors appeared on
two lists, the total number of unique majors was 51 rather than 60.
Here’s an example of how I combined the three measures of economic potential: Nursing
(R.N. Training) is the Social major with the best combined score for earnings, growth,
and number of job openings—based on the related job Registered Nurses.  erefore,
Nursing (R.N. Training) is listed fi rst in my “10 Best Social Majors” list even though
it is not the Social major with the best earning potential (which is Physician Assisting)
or the best potential for job growth (also Physician Assisting). It ranked #1 among the
Social majors on only one measure of economic potential, job openings, but its combined
ranking on all three measures put it in fi rst place.
All 51 of these majors appear not only on the lists in Part III of this book but also in the
descriptions in Part IV. Japanese also appears among the descriptions in Part IV. It was
excluded from the 10 best Artistic majors because there was room for only 7 language
majors, and alphabetical ordering would have excluded the much more popular Spanish
major. Five additional majors are described in Part IV but could not be included in the

Part III lists because they are not linked to any particular job except college teaching,
which is already represented in the lists by the pseudo-major Graduate Study for College
Teaching. For example, American Studies is one such major that appears in Part IV but
not in Part III. People with a degree in this subject sometimes go on to careers in law,
marketing, or politics, but this major is not the obvious one to link to these jobs, so it
would be a mistake to calculate the economic rewards of the major on the basis of these
or any other jobs. On the other hand, American Studies is a popular major and could
be combined with postgraduate study in law, social work, library science, or several
other fi elds covered by this book, so I decided that this major and four others—African-
American Studies, Area Studies, Humanities, and Women’s Studies—should be included
in the Part IV descriptions.  us a total of 57 majors are described in this book.
A Sample Description of a Major
 e 57 descriptions of majors in this book all have the same data elements. Following is a
sample, together with explanations of how to interpret the information.
Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________
10
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
Social Majors
African-American Studies
Personality Type: Social–Investigative–Artistic
Useful Facts About the Major
Focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture,
and economics of the North American peoples de-
scended from the African diaspora; focusing on
the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean,
but also including reference to Latin American ele-
ments of the diaspora.
Related CIP Program: 05.0201 African-Ameri-
can/Black Studies
Specializations in the Major: History and cul-

ture, behavioral and social inquiry, literature, lan-
guage, and the arts.
Typical Sequence of College Courses: English
composition, foreign language, American history,
introduction to African American studies, Afri-
can American literature, African American his-
tory, African Diaspora studies, research methods
in African American studies, seminar (reporting
on research).
Typical Sequence of High School Courses: Eng-
lish, algebra, foreign language, history, literature,
public speaking, social science.
Career Snapshot
African-American studies draws on a number of
disciplines, including history, sociology, literature,
linguistics, and political science. Usually you can
shape the program to emphasize whichever appeals
most to you. Graduates frequently pursue higher
degrees as a means of establishing a career in a fi eld
such as college teaching or the law.
Useful Averages for the Related
Jobs


Annual Earnings: $65,000


Growth: 15.1%



Openings: Roughly 200


Self-Employed: No data available


Verbal Skill Rating: 84


Math Skill Rating: 39
Other Details About the Related
Jobs
Career Clusters: 05 Education and Training; 10
Human Service. Career Pathways: 05.3 Teach-
ing/Training; 10.2 Counseling and Mental Health
Services.
Skills: Science, writing, operations analysis, learn-
ing strategies, speaking, reading comprehension,
active learning, active listening. Work Conditions:
Indoors; sitting; exposed to disease or infections.
Related Jobs
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies
Teachers, Postsecondary
Personality Type: Social–Investigative–Artistic
Earnings: $65,030
Growth: 15.1%
Annual Openings: 200
Most Common Education/Training Level:
Doctoral degree
Teach courses pertaining to the culture and de-

velopment of an area (e.g., Latin America), an
ethnic group, or any other group (e.g., women’s
studies, urban aff airs). Keep abreast of develop-
ments in their fi eld by reading current literature,
Personality
Type
Title
Related
CIP
Program
Useful Averages
for the Related
Jobs
Career Clusters
and Pathways
Specializations
in the Major
Typical
Sequence
of College
Courses
Typical
Sequence of
High School
Courses
Career
Snapshot
Related
Jobs
Skills

Work
Conditions
Useful
Facts
About the
Major
11
____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
Here are some details on each of the major parts of the descriptions you will fi nd in
Part IV:


Title— is is a commonly used title for the major. Sometimes the major may also be
known under other names. For example, Humanities is sometimes called Liberal Arts.


Personality Type— is consists of the one, two, or three RIASEC types that describe
this major, based on the jobs linked to the major. If more than one type is listed, they
appear in descending order of importance. Only the fi rst one or two types are used to
assign the major to the lists in Part III.


Useful Facts About the Major— is section begins with a defi nition of the major
derived from the Classifi cation of Instructional Programs (CIP), a database created
by the U.S. Department of Education.


Related CIP Program— is is the title of the CIP program that provided the
defi nition used in the previous data element.


Specializations in the Major— ese are the most commonly available concentrations
that may be off ered in the major. In some cases, these are job specializations rather
than educational pathways.


Typical Sequence of College Courses— ese courses are ordered roughly as they
might be taken to complete the major. Survey courses and introductory courses,
especially in supporting disciplines (for example, a writing course within a science
major), are usually ordered near the beginning, whereas specialized and advanced
courses are usually ordered near the end. Some of these titles may represent multiple-
semester courses or even separate courses with diff erent names collapsed into one title.


Typical Sequence of High School Courses— ese are the courses that are most
commonly expected to provide secondary-level preparation for the college major.
Additional courses are required by almost all high schools and are expected for college
admission.


Career Snapshot— is is an overview of the jobs that the major leads to. It usually
indicates the level of education the employers expect for new hires, as well as the job
outlook.


Useful Averages for the Related Jobs— e economic information here, as well as the
Total Annual Job Openings fi gure, comes from various U.S. Department of Labor
and Census databases for this occupation, and weighted averages were computed as
explained elsewhere in this introduction.  e fi gures for verbal and math skills are

derived from the O*NET database, as explained in Part III (where you’ll fi nd lists of
majors linked to jobs that require high and low levels of these skills). Note that these
Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________
12
10 Best College Majors for Your Personality © JIST Works
skill ratings are based on the requirements of the related jobs and may not indicate
the level of achievement necessary for admission to the major or the level of ability
required for completion of the courses.


Career Clusters and Pathways— is information assigns each related job to one
or more clusters and pathways within the career cluster scheme developed by the
U.S. Department of Education’s Offi ce of Vocational and Adult Education around
1999. You can fi nd the full outline of the career clusters and pathways in Appendix
C. Because the clustering scheme is more detailed than the six RIASEC personality
types, it may help you identify majors that relate to your specifi c interests.


Skills— e O*NET database provides data on many skills; I decided to list only
those that were most important for the jobs related to the major rather than list pages
of unhelpful details. For each major, I computed the weighted average skill ratings
for all related jobs. I then identifi ed any skill that is rated at a level higher than the
average rating for that skill for all jobs and that also is not rated as an unimportant
skill. If there are more than eight, I include only the eight with the highest ratings,
and I present them from highest to lowest score (that is, in terms of by how much its
score exceeds the average score). I include up to 10 skills if scores were tied for eighth
place. If no skill has a rating higher than the average for all jobs, I say “None met the
criteria.” If the names of the skills are not clear to you, you can fi nd defi nitions in
Appendix D. Note that the skills are based on the requirements of the jobs and may
not correspond exactly to the skills needed for academic success in the major.


Work Conditions— is entry, also derived from O*NET data about the related
jobs, mentions aspects of the work settings that some people may want to avoid,
such as exposure to loud noises or the necessity of standing for long periods of time.
I determined the dominant work conditions by using the same method as I used
for skills, except that the ordering of these environmental factors is not signifi cant.
Like the other work-related characteristics, the work conditions may not accurately
describe the environment where the major is studied, unless the major involves a lot
of workplace learning (for example, clinical practice in health-care majors).


Related Jobs— e jobs described here are linked to the major according to matches
made by the O*NET Development Center, with modifi cations as noted earlier in
this introduction.  e information on earnings, growth, job openings, and most
common level of education or training is derived from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Note that in some cases an occupation may require less education than a college
degree, but graduates of the major are commonly hired into this job. For example,
one of the jobs linked to Physical Education is Coaches and Scouts, which can be
learned through long-term on-the-job training. Nevertheless, some employers prefer
applicants with a college degree, and in fact slightly more than half the Coaches
and Scouts currently employed have a bachelor’s degree or higher, so this is a logical