UA seniors are beginning to realize that switching majors is simple compared to the switch from the academic world to the job market.

By graduation, few undergraduate students know what their career path should be or if they want to attend graduate school, according to Mona Lopez, a management information systems graduate adviser.

“”Sometimes if you have not been in the workforce, it is hard to know what you do or don’t like to do,”” she said. “”Parents or someone else may have encouraged a student to major in something, but they (the student) didn’t give thought to how they could apply that education to employment. The students who pick majors they enjoy also don’t always think about applicability.””

Chris Becker, an economics and political science senior, said he is “”quickly coming to learn that graduating college is one billion times more terrifying then finishing high school.””

“”The competition for those spots (in the job market) is exponentially more intense than anything one goes through applying to undergrad,”” he said. “”You know how every freshman’s greatest fear is having to face the real world? Yeah, well it’s way more horrifying when it’s staring you right in the face, especially if you don’t have a job lined up already.””

Becker eventually wants to be a talent manager for athletes, stars, actors or musicians, but would settle for a career as a contracts attorney.

Other seniors are graduating with degrees and career ideas very different from what they initially wanted to do when they enrolled as college freshmen.

Lara Erman, a film and video production senior, was initially an animal sciences major who hoped to become a veterinarian. When she kept seeing film classes online, she realized that she wanted to take them and eventually decided to change majors.

“”It is discouraging looking at the job market as it is now, having to compete with people in their 30s and 40s for the same position,”” she said. “”I think it is very natural to be hesitant because it (picking a career) is an enormous choice that can shape the rest of your life.””

Erman is currently in the process of applying to three graduate programs in Los Angeles in addition to applying for a job at Warner Bros. Studios where she interned during the summer of 2010. According to Erman, her ultimate career goal is to be a writer or director but wants to find somewhere to start.

Sam Jerome, a nutritional sciences and chemistry senior, also switched majors. She thought she wanted to major in physiology in hopes of becoming a physical therapist, but volunteering at a physical therapy center and taking UA’s Nutrition, Food, and You class made her realize that her true passion lied in nutrition. Although she has a dietetic internship lined up to help her obtain her registered dietitians license, she too feels graduating is very overwhelming.

“”In knowing that the real world is not nearly as fun as these past four years of college have been, I think it is hard for many graduating seniors to make a career commitment,”” she said. “”What it really comes down to is that I think most of us are simply in denial that college is ending so soon and the real world is finally upon us.””