大學新生手冊:選專業 莫着急大綱
Many freshmen feel anxious about their majors. Most believe that their major will determine their future: what they do and how much they get paid.
許多大一新生患上"專業焦慮症"，他們大都認爲，專業決定未來：做什麼？賺多少？So what happens if you don't like your major, or know nothing about its career prospects? What are your options?
那麼，如果你不喜歡自己的專業，或是對其職業前景一無所知，該如何是好？你能夠做些什麼呢？Experts advise students not to panic. Worrying about their choice of major causes most first-year students stress, according to Bai Jing, an instructor at Shantou University.
專家建議，學生不必驚慌。來自汕頭大學的教師白京（音譯）說，許多大一新生都因爲擔心自己所選的專業而倍感壓力。
"There are always a few students who arrive on campus knowing exactly what they want from their major and what their career ambitions are, but the majority just don't know or only have a vague idea," he said.
"儘管少數新生一入校就很清楚自己想從所選專業中學到什麼、知道自己的職業理想；但是大多數人都對此一無所知，或只有一個模糊的想法。"他說。"There is no need to rush to a conclusion on whether you like your major or not or if it suits you."
"沒必要急着去斷定你是否喜歡自己的專業，或者該專業是否適合自己。"Instead, students should devote their time and energy to fully exploring their academic and career interests. This should take priority over decisions such as changing your major.
取而代之，學生應該多花點時間和精力來全面發掘自己的學術和職業興趣。這纔是他們當下的重點，而不是去做出轉專業之類的決定。In practical terms this means that if a student has no idea what he or she want to do, they should first narrow the focus from all possible majors down to a few selected areas.
實際上，這意味着如果學生不清楚自己想要什麼，他們首先應該縮小範圍，將所有可能的專業濃縮成少數幾個精選領域。Luo Jialiang, 21, a junior who changed his major from electronic engineer to law in his first year at Fudan University, shared his experience.
21歲的羅嘉亮（音譯）就讀於復旦大學三年級，大一時從電子工程轉到了法律專業的他分享了自己的經驗。"Ask yourself these questions: What things excite you most? What jobs or careers appeal to you?"
"問問你自己以下幾個問題：什麼事情最讓你激動？什麼工作或職業最吸引你？"He recommends that if students are indecisive they take a career assessment. Career centers on campus usually offer this service in addition to a variety of personality tests.
他建議，如果學生還在猶豫不決，可以選擇去參加一次職業評估。校園就業指導中心通常會提供職業評估、性格測試等服務。Once a student has figured out his or her interests, they need to examine their abilities and make sure they can handle the study and work assignments in this field.
一旦學生找到了興趣所在，他們就需要考量個人能力，以確保可以應付該專業領域的學習任務。"Think about what your weaknesses and strengths are, such as logical reasoning," he said.
"想想自己的弱點和長處分別是什麼，比如邏輯推理能力。"他說道。Cai Xiaoming, a biology professor at Peking University, reminds students that many choose certain majors just to follow the crowd. But without talking to teachers or practitioners in the field, they seldom get the right picture.
北京大學生物學教授蔡曉明提醒學生，許多人選專業只是隨大流，並未與該專業領域的老師或從業者交流溝通，對於這些專業他們知之甚少。"Some consider the biology major to be of little use as you can hardly earn big money; others think they can go abroad with this major," he said. "Both are unrealistic."
"一些學生認爲生物專業幾乎沒什麼用，很難賺大錢；另一些學生則認爲選擇該專業將來可以出國。"他說，"這兩種想法都有些不切實際。"Students should be patient and not make any hasty decisions. Some universities offer double majors, or even triple majors, if you really can't decide.
學生們應該耐下心來，切忌草率做出決定。如果你真的難以抉擇，一些大學還開設了雙學位甚至三學位課程。Hao Jian, a senior human resources consultant at , a leading HR service site, says that a college major is important for a person's first job after graduation.
智聯招聘高級人力資源顧問郝建表示認爲，大學專業對學生畢業後的第一份工作至關重要。But he also points out that studies show most people change careers four or five times in their lives.
但他也指出，相關研究表明，大多數人在一生中要換四至五次職業。"No existing major can prepare you for that," he said. "And you should believe that all things you learn on campus will be of help at some point in your life."
"沒有任何現有專業可以爲此做準備，"他說道，"你要相信，你在學校所學的一切都會在生命中的某些時刻助你一臂之力。"
