Landing a Job Related to One’s Major or Not

That every college graduate lands a job perfectly geared to his major depends on a series of prerequisite conditions—that there are sufficient job opportunities, every graduate loves his major, the pay is satisfactory, and the location of the workplace is ideal, etc.

All those conditions render a perfect match between one’s specialty and one’s job a mere wish. In reality, such correspondence is possible only for a few fortunate students. For most students, some of whom cannot even find a job, they should be prepared for jobs only partially or even tangentially related to their major.

As a matter of fact, college education does not seek to produce students who only engage in careers based on their major. More and more universities now emphasize foundational and interdisciplinary education to develop broad-caliber students capable of coping with diverse challenges in a rapidly changing world. An important function of university education is just to expand students’ intellectual capacity and enhance their emotional maturity. Students must realize that studying a particular major does not automatically guarantee a ready career in that major.

Of course, students embarking on graduate studies should pursue careers related to their major. A student prepared to spend two or three years on a Master’s program and another three or five years on a Ph.D. program must have an intense and genuine interest in a particular subject. The failure to work in a related field would be a huge waste of the time and energy, and of the in-depth knowledge acquired.

In seeking a job, a student should opt for the job that accords with his interest and allows him to best exploit his talents. One’s career success depends not necessarily on one’s specialized knowledge, but on how one updates the existing knowledge and fits into a new environment.

                  所找的工作是否应与所学的专业相匹配

        每个大学毕业生要找到与其专业完全契合的工作，这取决于一系列先决条件：工作机会足够的多，每个毕业生皆酷爱其专业，薪酬令人满意，工作单位的地理位置也甚为理想……

        所有这些条件，使工作与专业之间的完美匹配成为一种奢望。在现实中，这种对应只可能出现在为数不多的幸运儿身上。对于大多数甚至连工作都难于找到的学生来说，他们必须准备着去接受那些与其专业只是部分相关、甚至几乎毫不相关的工作。

        事实上，大学教育所试图培养的学生，并非仅限于去从事那些基于其专业的工作。现在，越来越多的大学注重基础性教育或交叉学科教育，就是为了培养宽口径的学生，能够应对一个快速变化的社会中不尽相同的挑战。大学教育的一个重要功能是，拓展学生的智力，提高其情感成熟度。学生们应该意识到，在大学里从事某个专业的学习，并不自然而然地保证，该专业领域中有一个现成的职业在等待着你。

        当然，进行研究生学习的学生，应尽量去从事与其工作相关的职业。一个愿意花上二至三年去攻读硕士学位，然后再花上三至五年去攻读博士学位的学生，必定对某一特定科目有着强烈而诚挚的兴趣。不去从事相关领域中的工作，这是对其青春年华、精力、以及业已获得的深厚学识的一阵巨大浪费。

         在寻找工作的过程中，学生们应该选择那种既符合其兴趣、又能最大限度地发挥其才华的工作。一个人职业生涯的成功，并非必定取决于其专业知识，而是取决于他如何去更新现有的知识，并适应一个全新的环境。