Choosing The Right Major
Don't know what to major in? You are NOT alone. Contrary to what you may hear, many college students have no idea what they want to major in or what career path they want to choose when they arrive on campus. A majority of students in college change their major at least once in their college careers, and many change their major several times over the course of their college career. Studies also show that most people will change careers about four or five times over the course of their lives!
Don't be discouraged if you can't figure out what you want to do yet. That is what college is for. It's an opportunity for you take a variety of classes; join plenty of clubs, meet hundreds of new people so you can finally decide on what interests you the most. Try asking yourself, what excites you the most? Also try to think to yourself, what are your strengths? Is it writing? Perhaps Journalism can be the right choice for you. Are you a Math Wiz? Accounting can be a rewarding field to go into if you love numbers.
Another way to help figure out your major is to think of what you want out of a career. Is it the satisfaction of helping others? Is it stability? Is it being able to always interact with people? These are also factors in helping what job would be the perfect for you. Many colleges and Universities have help located within their career centers. You can take quizzes or even browse the internet and take online quizzes that match your personality and interests with fields/careers that most people like you fall into.
Think of older adults that you may know. Have you ever thought that their job was awesome? Ask them questions on what they majored in and what they did to get started. Asking older working adults is great way to get answers to many career paths. Also, don't be afraid to ask upperclassmen who are already deep into their majors and are ready to go out into the field for some advice. Ask them what type of classes they took, internships they completed etc. They can tell you first hand about their experience and how they got to choose their major. What most of them will also probably tell you is, if you have opportunity or room on your schedule to take an elective, do it! Taking a random class is another way of discovering what interests you. If you are a chemistry major, take an advertising class just because. Even though it has nothing to do with what you are studying, you get to explore a whole other field for a semester and just might discover a new interest.
Ask yourself these questions when trying to declare a major: • What are my hobbies and interests?
• What are my strengths?
• What am I good at doing?
• What courses have I especially enjoyed?
• What professions interest me?
• Do I work well with people?
• Which high school subjects did I enjoy?
• What types of assignments interest me?
• What is difficult for others but comes easily to me?
The answers to these questions can really help make your decision easier.
Remember; don't just think about the money. Think about something you will be content and happy with doing for a long time. The worst thing you can do is go to school for four years, go into the field and love the money but hate what you're doing. You will never perform to the best of your ability because of the resentment you will feel towards the job and yourself for not choosing something you love to do.
It's great to have help and influence in your decision, but do not let others choose a major for you. Many college students major in what their parents want them to major in or try to follow in a parent or sibling's footsteps, but later on down the road end up going back to school to study what they really wanted to study. Save yourself the time and money and do what feels right for YOU!


