“Don’t give up on things you’re interested in.” “Any experience is good experience.” “Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone, and above all, network and make connections.”

Encouraging advice—from a nurse, a middle school educator, an information analyst and others—was recorded for new students as part of Dr. Patti Gregg’s online First Year Experience course, “Engaging with Majors and Careers.”

As the college’s associate director of assessment, Gregg says significant evidence suggests that when students are connected to a major, they are more likely to graduate.

“The earlier we can help students clarify their interests and their major, the better,” she says. “Doing so helps keep students focused—and hopefully, they will do better in their classes.”

All GPC First Year Experience courses use the same text and are intended to teach students a variety of skills to be successful in college. But 40 percent of the course can be built around a theme. As a former career counselor, Gregg saw the correlation between classroom success and workplace success and designed her course to reflect that.

She says many students don’t understand how one major can prepare a student for a number of jobs. “All most people know are about a handful—doctor, lawyer, politician, broadcaster. But there are ranges of different jobs out there, and I hope as part of this class students will either pick a career or know there are a lot of different careers beyond what they see on TV.”

Even when students don’t declare a major, Gregg hopes the 15-week course can help her students understand what they need to be successful in any job they pursue.

 “The National Association of Colleges and Employers does an annual survey to rate the most important skills employers are looking for in an employee, and every year effective communication, problem solving and decision making are among the top skills employers look for in an employee,” she says.

View videos of the virtual guest speakers who discussed various careers in Gregg's classroom:

video 1: nurse

video 2: teacher

video 3: information analyst

video 4: interior designer

video 5: ERP configuration analyst