What do these people have in common: Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, comedian¹ and actor Steve Martin and former Attorney General Janet Reno? 前美联储主席艾伦•格林斯潘，喜剧演员斯蒂夫•马丁和前首席检察官詹尼特•里诺之间有什么共同点?

None of these highly successful people ended up pursuing a career relative to their college major. Reno was a chemistry major, Greenspan studied music and Martin earned a degree in philosophy. 这些取得非凡成功的人都没有追求一个与自己专业相关的行业。里诺主修的是化学，格林斯潘学的是音乐；而马丁取得的是哲学学位。

How can you expect to map your entire life with a college major when, according to the U.S. Department of Labor², the average person changes careers three times? 根据美国劳动部统计，平均每个人一生中会更换三次职业，你又怎么能用大学所学的专业来规划整个一生呢?

And, in search of the perfect course of study, 75 percent of students change majors at least once during their college years, according to Randy Miller³, chairman of student counseling Web site Readyminds. 而且学生咨询服务网站Readyminds主席兰迪•米勒说，在追求完美的学习道路上，75%的学生大学中至少换一次专业。

Don't worry. The biggest secret in career development is that you can get a job with any major, according to Donald Asher, career consultant⁴ and author of "How To Get Any Job With Any Major" (Ten Speed Press). Asher says that even though all majors may not supply equal preparation for all jobs, no job is out of reach simply because of your major. 别为专业担心。职业咨询师、《如何以任何专业获得任何工作》（Ten Speed Press出版）一书的作者唐纳德•埃舍说，职业发展中最大一个秘密就是拥有任何一个专业都能获得一份工作。他说即使每个专业所学到的知识为工作所做的准备程度也许不同，但从没有哪种工作是因为你的专业不相关而遥不可及。

You have more options than you think. Many students have tunnel vision when it comes to choosing their major - they pick their major on the assumption it's the only fast track to their lucrative⁵ dream job. Problem is, they might hate that major, do badly in it and subsequently rule out a career they might have been great at. 你拥有比你认为的要多的选择。 许多学生在选择专业上的目光如同井底之蛙——他们选择专业基于的是这个专业是否是通往理想工作唯一的快车道。问题是，他们也许不喜欢这个专业；学得很差，而且还排除了从事自己或许能干得不错的职业。

Employers do look at your major when considering your application, mainly because your major helps the employer determine the skills you'd bring to the organization. But other factors, especially your relevant experience, play a big role. 的确，当你应聘一份工作时雇主会考虑你的专业，这主要是因为你的专业能让他们知道你能给组织带来哪些技能。但是，其它因素，尤其是相关经验，会扮演一个很重要的角色。

In fact, Asher adds, the top 10 characteristics corporate⁶ recruiters look for can be found in students of any major. 事实上，公司招聘人员所寻找的十大特质任何专业的学生都有。They include:这些特质是：

* Communication skills交际能力

* Honesty/Integrity诚实/正直

* Teamwork skills团队合作的能力

* Interpersonal skills人际关系

* Motivation/initiative动力/主动性

* Strong work ethic很强的职业道德

* Analytical⁸ skills分析能力

* Flexibility/adaptability灵活适应的能力

* Computer skills电脑技能

* Self-confidence自信

Additionally, post-baccalaureate studies provide specialization and internships provide work experience. These can define your road more significantly than undergraduate studies. 此外，学士学位阶段后的学习能提供专门技能，而实习能提供工作经验。相对本科阶段的学习而言，这些对找工作的影响更有决定性。

Here are some examples of real people who found success outside of their college majors: 下面是一些在所学专业之外获得了成功的真人事例：:

Carly Fiorina, former chairperson and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company, received a degree in medieval history and philosophy from Stanford. 惠普公司前首席执行官及主席Carly Fiorina在斯坦福取得的是中世纪历史和哲学专业学位。

James Gandolfini, Emmy award-winning actor, majored in communications at Rutgers. 艾美奖男演员James Gandolfini在罗格斯大学学的是交流专业。

Richard Gephardt, politician and former Presidential hopeful, earned a degree in speech from Northwestern University. 政治家和前总统候选人Richard Gephardt在西北大学取得演讲专业学位。

Hugh Hefner, founder⁹ of Playboy magazine, majored in philosophy at the University of Illinois. 花花公子杂志创始人Hugh Hefner，在伊利诺大学的专业是哲学。

Lee Iacocca, former head of Chrysler Motor Company, studied history at Lehigh University.克莱斯勒汽车公司前领袖Lee Iacocca在利哈伊大学学的是历史。

Mick Jagger, lead singer for the Rolling Stones, majored in economics at the London School of Economics. 滚石首席歌手Mick Jagger在伦敦经济学院时主修经济学。

Ashton Kutcher, actor, majored in biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa. 男演员Ashton Kutche曾在俄亥俄州州立大学学生化工程专业。

Sherry Lansing, chairman of Paramount¹⁰ Motion Picture Group, earned her bachelor's degree in English from Northwestern University. 派拉蒙电影集团主席Sherry Lansing 在西北大学取得的是英语学士学位。

Lucy Liu, actress, studied Asian Languages at the University of Michigan. 女演员刘玉玲在密西根大学的专业是亚洲语言。

Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme¹¹ Court Justice, majored in economics at Stanford. 前最高法院法官Sandra Day O'Connor在斯坦福学经济学专业。

Brad Pitt, actor and heartthrob, was two credits shy of a journalism¹² degree from the University of Missouri. 令女人们怦然心动的男演员布拉德•皮特就差两学分就能在密苏里大学取得他的新闻学学位。

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California and actor, studied economics at the University of Wisconsin. 加州州长，男演员阿诺德•施瓦辛格在威斯康星大学学的是经济学。

Denzel Washington, Oscar-winning actor, has a degree in journalism from Fordham University.

奥斯卡奖得主男演员丹泽尔•华盛顿获得过福德汉姆大学新闻学学位。