According to a 2023 study from Old Dominion University, 39% of undergraduates change their major at least once as they try to find the right fit. For senior Aaron Adams, a human resource management (HRM) major at the BYU Marriott School of Business, choosing a career path was less about finding a perfect fit and more about finding a path that will help him grow.
Adams’ perspective began to take shape in a leadership class during his senior year of high school. The teacher, whom Adams deeply admires, helped him shape his goals. “He is the most self-actualized person I’ve ever met,” Adams explains. “He inspired me to be confident about who I am and what I'm doing. He told us to figure out who we want to be in life, write it down, and work toward it."
Though this life vision was originally written for an assignment, it has taken on more meaning for Adams over the years as he updates it periodically in his quest to become the kind of person who helps others. “I want people to walk away from a conversation with me feeling better about themselves,” Adams says. “I want my enthusiasm to inspire other people to be excited and committed to the projects they care about.”
When he was accepted into two majors, including HRM, Adams had to decide which path to pursue. Rather than writing a pros and cons list, he looked at the jobs each major would lead to and how those jobs would enable him to touch others' lives.
“For me,” Adams says, “satisfaction comes from identifying who I want to be in life and understanding that there are several paths I can take to get there. I decided to pick one major and go with it, knowing that it’s okay to pivot and adjust as I go forward.”
By applying this philosophy, Adams determined that a career in human resources would help him fulfill his life vision. “I’m so excited about helping create clarity—understanding psychology, business, and how people work—and using that to improve people’s lives and solve problems,” Adams says. “HRM is the venue that I've chosen to do that.”
Adams has maintained that excitement through to his final semester at BYU Marriott. “Because HRM aligns with who I want to be, I am committed to succeeding in the field.”
This dedication has encouraged Adams to prioritize his studies when he plans out his time. Adams has found that “there is no such thing as a perfect balance, just prioritization. There isn’t enough time to do everything, so I have to prioritize the most important things in my life."
As Adams continues on his journey of self-actualization, he focuses on what he values most. “I want my career to help me grow as a person,” Adams says. “A career isn’t a means to an end; it’s supposed to contribute to your life more than your life is supposed to contribute to it.”
