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.
Scroll To:
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?
If you are interested in learning more about choosing a major, watch the self-guided “Choosing a College Major” workshop. This is a quick introduction to help you explore career/major topics and resources and determine a college major.
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?
If you are interested in learning more about choosing a major, watch the self-guided “Choosing a College Major” workshop. This is a quick introduction to help you explore career/major topics and resources and determine a college major.
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.
Career 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
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.
At Cabrillo, we offer two formal Career Assessments inventories available for purchase: the Strong Interest Inventory & the Myers Briggs Type Inventory.
Assessments are available through enrolling in the CG 54 class, Major and Career Exploration. Students will take a deep dive into each of the assessment reports paired with career research and educational planning.
During the Fall and Spring semesters, the Academic and Career Counseling department also offers formal career assessments and interpretation for a fee based on current enrollment status. For more information, see the Academic and Career Counseling website.
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.
CG Classes
Counseling and Guidance (CG) courses are designed to assist students in making informed educational and career choices. All are CSU and many are UC transferable and range from 1-3 units.
CG 54 - Major and Career Exploration
CG 51 - Planning for Success
CG 1 & CG 1 FYE - College Success
📖For the current offerings, see the Schedule of Classes.
Career Roadmap
Where are you on this roadmap? Your Academic & Career Plan will help you determine how far along you are on your journey and how much further you have to go.
This is a suggested map of academic and career opportunities students can take advantage of during their time at Cabrillo. There is a lot of support on campus to help you each step of the way. Consider connecting with recommended resources and services on campus based on where you are in your journey.
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.
Academic and Career Counseling is here to help you reach your career/academic goals. Let us help you build a plan for an occupational certificate, AA/AS degree, and/or to navigate the steps to transfer.
Services Provided:
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 and Career Counselor.