Picking a major in college is one of the most important choices you will ever make in your life. A majority of college students change their college majors at least three times. Changing your major that many times wastes not only time but also money. College isn’t cheap and if you’re like me and get no government assistance, the extra semesters can really add up! To help others avoid making the same mistake I did, I have comprised somewhat of a list to help people entering college make the right choice the first time and skip all the nonsense in between.
In this post:
1. Do your research!
Make sure that you research majors by looking into absolutely everything. Sit down and make a list of every career path that interests you. Go online and research what types of jobs you can get with that major and what the job will entail. Also, if money is of importance to you (it was to me), look at the average yearly salaries earned in each of the professions. You don’t want to go to school for four years to make minimum wage.
Look at the classes involved in each major you are considering. In most colleges, a description will be posted along with every class. Make sure you look at what you are getting into. You don’t want to be halfway through your classes and then realize that the next semester has a bunch of classes in store that you will hate. Know exactly EVERYTHING you have to do to get the degrees you are considering. By putting all of the options down side by side, it will give you a clearer idea of what you want get into.
2. Go with your passion!
Yes, money is always something that will be considered when choosing what you want to do with the rest of your life. However, you don’t want to go to class every day hating what you are doing. That just means that when you get a job you will most likely hate it too. Go into something that you are passionate about. Make a list of your interests and compare them with the classes involved with the majors that you have pre-selected. If your passion ties into one of them, most likely that is what you will be happy doing.
3. Don’t let anybody else influence your choice.
This is a problem for a lot of college students. You have your family and friends blurting out what you should but at the end of the day, all that matters is what YOU want to do. Letting people influence your choice will most likely lead to you changing majors quite a few times. Don’t listen to the opinions of other people. They are not the ones who have to do the work, you are.
4. Meet with advisors frequently on your campus.
Advisors will be able to assist you in making your final choice. Resources are available whether you know it or not. I sure didn’t. Ask as many questions as possible. There are no dumb questions.
5. Talk to people that you know.
Adults would be especially helpful. Ask them why they chose their profession and what lead them to choose it. Also, ask how about their careers. If you’re interested in a certain area of study, find somebody who has the degree you are considering and talk to them about it. More than likely, they will answer all of your questions. Most peoples’ favorite thing to talk about is themselves. By shadowing a person in a career that you are thinking about, you will have a better idea of whether or not it’s for you.
Conclusion
I really hope these tips for picking a major were helpful and I also hope that in the future, people will be more adamant about picking their major. College campuses WANT us to do that, they get more of our money that way. Don’t make the same mistakes that I did. Make sure you know what you want to do before you attempt it. It will save you time and money and get you into a career faster.
