Five Steps to Happiness

What excuses do we give ourselves when it comes to being happy?

• I'll be happy when I have a job.
• I'll be happy when I own my own home.
• I'll be happy when I'm married.
• I'll be happy when I have my own car.
• I'll be happy when I pay off my bills.
• I'll be happy when I can go on vacation.
• I'll be happy when I can visit my family.
• I'll be happy when...

There's always a "next step" to being happy and before we know it, we're looking back on our lives and wondering what we did with our time.  A cousin of mine posted a video on Facebook and it was a fairly quick segment with Pastor T.D. Jakes where he talks to Steve Harvey about taking five steps to achieving happiness.  How do we equate this to major and career exploration?

Step 1:  Own Your Own Happiness

YOU know what you like to do and what you're good at doing.  YOU know what classes you enjoy. YOU picture your dreams and goals.  YOU have choices when it comes to majors and careers.  Own up to all of that and take the steps necessary to discover something you can commit to for the rest of your life.  Or at least gain the valuable skills employers are looking for regardless of your major.

Step 2:  Challenge Your Story
This is similar to reevaluating yourself.  Every once in a while take a step back and look into your life and choices from an outside point of view.  Challenge yourself and your choices.  You'll know you're on the right path when you enjoy your classes and the subject area.  You can also challenge your story by using major and career resources to help guide you through the process and either help you find a major or reinforce what you've already decided upon.

Step 3:  Enjoy the Journey
Learning is constant.  You will be doing that throughout your life so enjoy the journey of self discovery.  Don't wait to celebrate when you've accomplished the big stuff.  Celebrate the small accomplishments.  Go shopping, hiking, or eat junk food!  Just celebrate along the way.

Step 4:  Make Relationships Count
This is important in our personal lives but also in our college and professional lives.  Networking is extremely helpful when it comes to obtaining a reference for a scholarship or internship and finding a job once you've completed your degree.  Make those connections count!

Step 5:  Balance Work with Play
Too much of one thing can be detrimental.  Of course you'll want to work hard in college to accomplish the goals of obtaining a degree but you also need some down time.  Take a break.  Do something fun.  Whatever that means to you.

Happiness is different for everyone.  If you're taking the time to research and discover who you are, what you like, and what you want in life, you'll be more productive in your educational process.  Find your happy place and enjoy the ride! 

The Crossroads (Reevaluate)

re-eval·u·ate

ˌrēiˈvalyo͞oˌāt/

verb

verb: reevaluate

1. evaluate again or differently.

(Oxford Dictionary)

There are times in our lives where we feel the need to reevaluate our choices whether it's a job, a relationship, or a college major.  The definition of reevaluate gives us some great insight as to how we need to view things again or (keyword) differently.  When it comes to choosing your major, the hope is that you will stick to that major until you graduate with your degree.  After all, you took a lot of time and effort to choose your major.  But every so often, you want to take a step back and look at the big picture.  For some of us who have personalities that live in the moment and do not like to look beyond today, that might be difficult.  In the long run, though, we want to step out of our comfort zone and really look at our chosen path.  Looking at ideas with another perspective is always a good thing.  If you've taken the time and effort to discover a major and career path that fits YOU, stepping back from time to time can only reinforce the decision you made or create a few minor changes.  

Let's use a student example to illustrate this idea.  Trina graduates from a charter school that focuses on the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).  She completes her math credits for high school and it is assumed she will continue in a STEM program at the university level.  Trina is more of a writer and can't really decide on a major.  One thing she knows for certain is that she WILL NOT go into the hard sciences.  She took her classes in high school because that was the focus of the school but personally she would like to go into something different.  Her thoughts lead to an English major because of her strong writing skills.  But she's not entirely sure.  She goes through different major and career exploration exercises and ends up investing in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory assessments.  She discovers she matches closely with quite a few careers but one in particular, Occupational Therapy.  This is a field that has been recommended to her on several occasions.  She now has to choose a major that will lead her into the graduate program. She takes an English class hoping she will enjoy the writing and comparing novels to film.  She finds the class to be tedious and does not enjoy the company of the English majors within the class.  Trina then takes an Intro to Sociology class and falls in love with the program.  An advisor recommends she major in Exercise and Sports Science but again, Trina is not interested in pursuing a heavy science and math field.  She attends the information session for Occupational Therapy and is told the majors that match well with that graduate program are Psychology, Social Work, and (gasp!) Sociology. Trina is extremely excited because she enjoys the social sciences and knows she can continue to pursue Sociology as well as work on prerequisites for Occupational Therapy.  From time to time, Trina takes a step back to reevaluate her coursework and future goals.  Each time she does this, she feels good about what she is doing and she feels she is on the right path.  

We all know how we feel and what we like.  Take the time to step back and be an observer in your life.  And don't forget to follow the Career Decision Making Model steps:
1.  Assess Myself
2.  Explore Options
3.  Evaluate Fit
4.  Take Action
5.  Adjust to Transition
6.  Reevaluate 

The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same.  Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.
~Don Williams Jr Quotes

Change brings opportunity~Nido Qubein (Adjust to Transition)

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost

Life is full of transitions.  You transition out of diapers, going from grade-to-grade in school, becoming an adult, changing jobs, discovering your social life, etc.  Think of those transitions, the good and the bad.  With each change, there was a learning experience so you realized what you liked and didn't like about certain aspects of life and your personality. The same goes for major and career exploration.  The average student changes his/her major anywhere from 3-5 times during his/her college experience. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (www.bls.gov), baby boomers held 11.7 jobs from ages 18 through 48.  That means they did not follow the previous path of their parents/grandparents and staying with one job for their entire lives.  They transitioned into jobs, sometimes within the realm of their chosen field, sometimes they tried something entirely different.  In the age of Generation X and the Millennials, it's possible this average transition has increased. As an academic and career advisor at a community college, I have met with quite a few students who are considering the transition into "encore" careers.  These are generally prospective students who are 55 years and older and have worked in one job field but want to finally delve into their "dream" career.  This is happening more and more often as these "encore" students have decided to follow their passion and dreams after years of working as a provider for their families.  In many instances, the children are all grown up and living lives of their own so the parent (now student) has decided to do something for him/herself.

There is nothing wrong with change and transition.  Life happens and sometimes it happens while you are working towards completing a degree.  The main thing to remember is there are people who can help and guide you during those "life happens" moments.  Find some strong and reliable mentors that will be there for you and lift you up when you feel like giving up.  If you feel you need to change your major to something more suitable for you, that's okay, too.  Even if you complete a degree in one area and end up working in something totally different, you have gained the knowledge and skills to complete tasks.  Critical thinking, writing, and communication skills are key to many positions in any job field.  Sometimes, the skills you've gained with completing your degree are skills that transfer into the work force.  Find a positive way to deal with transitions and adjust appropriately.  Never give up.  Always keep in mind the end goal and the endless possibilities that await you.
*This message has been brought to you by someone who took six years to complete a Bachelor's degree in Broadcasting with a minor in History, did not know what she wanted to do for the first four years of college, worked in banking, data entry, and teaching, before discovering the wonderful world of higher education and student services.  After sixteen years of searching for her "perfect fit". And now she not only works in education, she gets to write.  Which is her first love.  There is hope!*

Add the following to your major exploration journal!

            How would I rate my communication skills, both verbal and written?

            How well do I get along with individuals who are not like me in age, race,  

            culture, sex, educational level, or personality?   

            How would I rate my analytical skills, both general and mathematical?

            Post online or leave a comment on the blog.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... (Take Action)

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.  John F. Kennedy

What image pops into your head when you think about "taking action"?  Do you visualize Usain Bolt as he bursts from the starting blocks of the 100-meter dash milliseconds after the starting signal?  Or do you imagine J. J. Watt as he explodes off the defensive line to make a beeline for the quarterback?  Or do you think of Lionel Messi as he blazes across the soccer field dodging through defenders?  Taking action is much more than this and definitely more than something on a physical level.

When it comes to major and career exploration, taking action means moving forward with your plans. At this point you have some ideas in your mind about a major so your next step is to find out about required classes, transfer information, work data, length of time for completion.  What additional requirements should you be aware of such as community service, leadership, experience, prerequisites, job shadowing or volunteer work, is it a competitive or open program?  When you TAKE ACTION, you are leaping into the world of making a decision.  But imagine if you didn't take action? What if Usain Bolt didn't practice and strive towards being the fastest man in the world?  What if J. J. Watt sat on the sidelines and gave up because football was too hard?  What if Lionel Messi never set foot on a soccer field?  Taking action requires an understanding of your future goals and your pathway in succeeding and accomplishing those goals.  Whether you take action by physically moving to a place that offers your program of study, making a list and sticking to your plan, or knowing what classes you enjoy and want to pursue, YOU are at the steering wheel and in control.

Add the following to your discovery journal:
What hobbies or personal projects have you been involved in?  

• What did you learn?
• What skills did you gain?
• What did you like about the project?
• What did you dislike about the project?

(If you have decided on a major at SLCC, you can change it by logging into your MyPage account, Student Tab, Student Portal, Personal Information Change, Major Change Request.  If your major is not listed, please speak with an Academic & Career Advisor about options.  For more information, please call 801-957-4978.)

FINAL DAY FOR APPLICATIONS (25 DAY BENCHMARK)

Today is the final day to submit your 25 Day Benchmark application.  Make sure you check off the activities you have completed and include your contact information!  Haven't started, yet?  That's okay!  You can start at any time!  Our 50 Day Benchmark will be sneaking up on us soon.  See the "Benchmark" tab for details.

100 Days of Career Exploration

#100daysSLCC

25 Day Benchmark

(Deadlines to submit entries for each benchmark will be one week after the benchmark date.)

25 Day Benchmark (Friday, September 25, 2015)

(Total possible entries:  2)

à Instagram picture (with #100daysSLCC)

à MCDS Sign Up

à Comment on Blog

à Likes on Facebook (with #100daysSLCC)

à In person attendance to a Peep the Sheep event

(Check off items you have completed.  Verification will be made before name is submitted for drawing.  Your name can be submitted up to 2 times for our grand prize drawing of an SLCC Tuition Waiver OR $300 SLCC Bookstore gift card.  Submit at any Salt Lake Community College Academic & Career Advising Office.)

Please print:

Name: ____________________________________________

SLCC Student #:__________________________________

Bruinmail:________________________________________

Social Media Handle:______________________________

Phone:____________________________________________