Besides the parties, meeting new people and getting away from home, at some point when you attend college, you will have to choose a college major, or at least narrow your options sooner rather than later.
While being undecided for a short while is OK, you can’t put it off indefinitely. It’s true choosing your major can be tough, but it can be done with some tips.
In fact, selecting a college major is truly a personal choice that requires you spend time thinking about your likes, dislikes, what skills you excel at, and what your interests, abilities, and goals are. But it’s also about choosing a career that will make you happy in the future.
While it would be nice to have an interest in one of the highest paying college majors, it’s also important to choose a college major that will ultimately lead to a career you want in a place you want to live.
Ask questions
The best advice according to scholarships.com for how to choose a college major is simply to be inquisitive; ask questions. In addition to asking your academic adviser at college, ask friends and family for their thoughts.
Some factors scholarships.com suggests considering when selecting a college major include:
- What type of career can you see yourself in?
- What type of work do you enjoy?
- What are your interests?
- Which subjects did you enjoy studying the most in high school?
- What type of skills do you have?
- What did you learn about what you like and dislike from your past work experience?
- Are there in-demand career fields in the geographic areas where you would like to live following graduation?
Career choices
The answers to these questions may lead you to the best college major for you. For example, if worked part time at the local dress shop after high school classes and you didn’t care for it, you can pretty much take retail management off your list. But if you liked setting up clothing displays, you might seriously want to consider a major in visual merchandising.
The college major that you select impacts the kinds of jobs you will be qualified for when you leave college. USA Jobs (http://www.usajobs.gov/EI23.asp), the official job website of the United States Federal Government, publishes a guide to college majors that details hiring qualifications, by major, for different types of federal jobs. This site publishes popular jobs with an appropriate college major list beneath each type of job, according to scholarships.com.
Don’t be scared
Selecting a college major is an important decision, and one that will impact your life after college. It is important to remember, however, that declaring a major is not set in stone. It is not unusual for a college student to change their major more than once during the college years.
It’s safe to say you need time, research, and careful thought before choosing a college major. Setting college goals can help, as can understanding the various college majors and how they can move you closer to your lifetime goals.
Be open-minded and be honest with what you want when deciding on a major. In the end, you will be able to choose a college major that you will be happy with after you graduate and find the job of your dreams.
