From the day you started school, you were asked what you wanted to be when you grew up. You drew pictures of yourself as a firefighter, a teacher, a zookeeper or a ballet dancer. You may have even dressed up for your dream job as you sported a Peyton Manning jersey or, despite your mother’s pleadings, a Jedi cloak with an accompanying saber.

Now, the day is here when you choose the right degree that will help you reach your dream job.

To help you in the process of “growing up,” Southern Utah University has brought you six mistakes students make when picking a degree.

1. Letting authority figures have too much influence

You may have grown up in a family of cops. Your father was a cop; your brother was a cop; your mother was a cop. This does not mean that you need to be a cop.

Too often students are influenced by what others want them to be, or what they think will please others. College is a time to choose a degree that will help you reach your dream job.

2. Not studying the job market

You may love ceramics or head-over-heels for the language you learned while serving an LDS mission or studying abroad. However, graduating with a major in French and a minor in ceramics will narrow your job options quite a bit.

When deciding on a degree, it is important to study the job market to give yourself a greater likelihood of employment in your field.

3. It’s not all about money

While money is a necessity, it isn’t everything. Many people have lived fulfilling lives with less than desirable incomes, and there have been many miserable millionaires. Your choice of major shouldn’t solely be dictated by potential salary.

Do all you can to make yourself marketable, but realize that whatever you choose to do will take up the majority of your waking hours. Don’t spend those days being unhappy all in the name of a paycheck.

4. Following passions

We all have passions. This is a good thing. What people often forget is that passions often change based on experiences and success.

Many students go into college with a very narrow focus and end up missing out on some great opportunities.

Mark Cuban, business mogul and owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, explains this best: “Don’t follow your passions, follow your effort. … When you work hard at something you become good at it.

When you become good at doing something, you will enjoy it more. When you enjoy doing something, there is a very good chance you will become passionate or more passionate about it. When you are good at something, passionate and work even harder to excel and be the best at it, good things happen.”

5. Wasting time

There is a lot of wasted time in college, and we’re not just talking about multiple midday naps and thinking up clever hashtags to go with social media posts.

What many undergraduate students don’t know is that you can be working toward your graduate degree while earning your bachelor’s degree. Dr. Roger LaMarca, director of online admissions at Southern Utah University, said, "Many universities offer programs to help students successfully complete college. One of the biggest problems, however, is that students don't always know the options that are available to them until it is too late.

"For example, Southern Utah University recently started a new program that can be completed on campus or online that allows students to start taking graduate level classes while they are finishing their bachelor's degree.

"The students who participate in this program usually save about $4,000 in tuition and about six months in time. However, because this is a new program, many students are finding out about it too late and lose the chance to take advantage of this opportunity. For this reason, I recommend that students talk to representatives from various departments as often as they can.”

6. Not asking questions

College can be intimidating and many students may not know where to go for advice on what classes they should be taking. All colleges and universities have academic counselors whose job it is to help guide you in the process.

LaMarca said, “More than 50 percent of students change their major. This often leads to additional cost, wasted time and makes the process very frustrating. The problem is that many students don't know what they want to do when they start college and so many of them end up changing their minds as they go.

"For this reason, Southern Utah University provides a significant amount of support to help students whether on campus or online to make decisions before, during and even after they graduate. The work we do helps students obtain correct information and find success in their education and ultimately their careers. We encourage all students to call and talk to us so that we can help them make the correct choices.”

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