The Bakersfield College transfer center has begun a semester’s worth of workshops to inform students about different majors and the careers they lead to.

One of these workshops was for those interested in psychology, led by CSUB’s Steve Bacon and held on Feb. 28.

Bacon, a clinical psychologist and educator, spoke about what being a psychology major really means by informing students on what they need to know right now to prepare for a future in the field.

Transfer counselor Sue Granger-Dickson spoke afterward on the success of the workshops.
“This was a fabulous workshop,” she said. “Whether you’re going to CSUB or you’re going to any other school, this gave students the information they needed not just as far as a major goes, but as a career goes.”

Psychology major Daniel Castro, 22, agreed, finding the workshop, as well as the informational pamphlet provided, to be extremely helpful.

“I think if [more students came], it would be to their benefit,” said Castro, who claimed that the workshop answered some questions he had.

“I thought it was bachelor’s, master’s, and then Ph.D. He (Bacon) said you can get the Ph.D. after you get the bachelors, so I thought that was pretty cool.”

“That’s why I was looking forward to coming over here, because by the time we get students as juniors, there’s not that much time for them to think about that stuff,” said Bacon about the workshop.

“I would have liked to get that kind of message out earlier, so yeah, I like this kind of forum because the school is sort of communicating this with students early on.”

Granger-Dickson talked about how important it is for students to think about more than just a major choice but also how that major can lead you to different career opportunities.

“Some students get upset about a major, but it’s maybe easier for them to think about a career. If you went to this presentation, you thought, ‘Yeah, OK, I’ve always wanted to go into business, but I don’t want to be a business administration major, I can be a psychology major because I love my psych classes.’ ”

She said, without this information, students can often times feel stuck and apprehensive about choosing a major right away.

“I’ve actually had students tell me that, ‘If I pick wrong, oh my gosh, I’ll be stuck in the wrong career for the rest of my life,’ but what they don’t realize is that there are very few degrees that actually lead to one career,” she said. “Many of them give you a set of skills that enable you do a variety of careers.”

Choosing a major is an important aspect of an effective educational plan, qualifying for financial aid and priority registration.

“We’re just trying to get this information out to students,” she said. “We’re using BC faculty, as well as faculty from the local colleges too.”

She said she hopes this can become a long-term tradition.
“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this,” she said.

“My hope is that this is something that’s going to grow. I’d like to have a major career workshop every single week in the spring, and then focus on the actual nitty-gritty of transfer in the fall.”