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How should I pick my major?
High school junior, not sure about what I should major in.
12 answers
Updated
Ellie’s Answer
I recommend community College for a few years. It's cheaper and ut will guve you an opportunity to try different majors without having the financial commitment to a major college.
Updated
Margaret’s Answer
"Answered by a PagerDuty Team"
Set aside time for reflection - what are you passionate about, what excites you?
If you're able, can you take a few varied courses to see what you're truly interested in
Talk to individuals in fields you're interested in pursuing that have a wealth of experience and could help guide your decision process
Make a pros & cons list! What can and can't you live without?
If you're focused only on monetary gains it can lead to burn out and exhaustion...if you love what you're doing and are happy, money will follow (high quality results = higher lifetime yield)
Try an internship to really test the waters and see what a "day in the life" is truly like
Go with your gut...your major likely won't silo you and you'll still have many career options available throughout your life
Set aside time for reflection - what are you passionate about, what excites you?
If you're able, can you take a few varied courses to see what you're truly interested in
Talk to individuals in fields you're interested in pursuing that have a wealth of experience and could help guide your decision process
Make a pros & cons list! What can and can't you live without?
If you're focused only on monetary gains it can lead to burn out and exhaustion...if you love what you're doing and are happy, money will follow (high quality results = higher lifetime yield)
Try an internship to really test the waters and see what a "day in the life" is truly like
Go with your gut...your major likely won't silo you and you'll still have many career options available throughout your life
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. This is a very popular question from high school students these days. I suggest you could find out what you want to do first, i.e. you career, before you decide on your high school major.
Below are my suggestions :
1.Think about anything you have interest on, e.g. your hobbies, favourite subjects, etc. and the related music
E.g. If you are interested in music, would you like to be a musician, singer, composer, music producer, music teacher, etc.
If you are interested in maths, would you like to an accountant, banker, financial analyst, engineer, maths teacher, etc.
2. Find out more on these careers and identify the career you have interested on
3. Speak to someone who are working in these career. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counselor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Find the entry criteria of the relevant subject in the college
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Below are my suggestions :
1.Think about anything you have interest on, e.g. your hobbies, favourite subjects, etc. and the related music
E.g. If you are interested in music, would you like to be a musician, singer, composer, music producer, music teacher, etc.
If you are interested in maths, would you like to an accountant, banker, financial analyst, engineer, maths teacher, etc.
2. Find out more on these careers and identify the career you have interested on
3. Speak to someone who are working in these career. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career counselor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Find the entry criteria of the relevant subject in the college
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Updated
Anika’s Answer
Answered by a group of employees from PagerDuty
1. Narrowing down on your interests/hobbies. This can be through classes you’ve performed well in or extracurricular activities you enjoyed attending and see which one resonates with you.
2. After reflecting on your interests, take some time to do research on possible career paths that can be relevant and check to see if there are any educational requirements that are common among those
3. Try attending college fairs/tours to give you a better understanding of the various programs offered and see what sparks your interest
4. Find a mentor that works in a job field(s) you may be interested in.
5. Go to networking events, and ask what people do for a living and what major they did in college for that job.
6. You can take a skills/strength test online for free like Myers-Briggs to figure out your strengths and that can help guide what field you choose
7. You don’t always need to know your major before going into College. A lot of schools have many majors to choose from and you can take classes to investigate before deciding.
1. Narrowing down on your interests/hobbies. This can be through classes you’ve performed well in or extracurricular activities you enjoyed attending and see which one resonates with you.
2. After reflecting on your interests, take some time to do research on possible career paths that can be relevant and check to see if there are any educational requirements that are common among those
3. Try attending college fairs/tours to give you a better understanding of the various programs offered and see what sparks your interest
4. Find a mentor that works in a job field(s) you may be interested in.
5. Go to networking events, and ask what people do for a living and what major they did in college for that job.
6. You can take a skills/strength test online for free like Myers-Briggs to figure out your strengths and that can help guide what field you choose
7. You don’t always need to know your major before going into College. A lot of schools have many majors to choose from and you can take classes to investigate before deciding.
Updated
Baljit’s Answer
Hi Yu Wen,
You can narrow down your goals by making a list about what you are good at and what you want to achieve in your life. A career advisor could point you in the right direction re classes you could take at college level while in High School.
Another thing that you could do is browse through college courses online and check out what interests you. Depending on what career you want to do should be what you are interested in. Maybe you want to be an entrepreneur or you want to help someone medically. There are so many options being a High School junior.
Find out what your friends are doing and see if it correlates to what you want to do.
Also volunteering in an area that interests you would also be beneficial.
You can narrow down your goals by making a list about what you are good at and what you want to achieve in your life. A career advisor could point you in the right direction re classes you could take at college level while in High School.
Another thing that you could do is browse through college courses online and check out what interests you. Depending on what career you want to do should be what you are interested in. Maybe you want to be an entrepreneur or you want to help someone medically. There are so many options being a High School junior.
Find out what your friends are doing and see if it correlates to what you want to do.
Also volunteering in an area that interests you would also be beneficial.
Updated
Hector’s Answer
Hi Yu Wen, the best way to pick a major is to find which subjects interest you and which fields you are good in. Because if you pick a major in an area that you don't enjoy, studying and working in that field will not be enjoyable. But if you pick a major in a field that you enjoy and you are good in those subjects, it will make it easier to prepare and study the required courses for that major.
Also, it is prudent to see how much is the earning potential in a particular field of study after you graduate. As there could be multiple similar majors within a field, but the earning potential may differ between them. In addition is good to also know before hand how much it will cost to graduate in a particular major, before you start. As it could be the case that some major may cost more or less than others. Will you invest multiple years of study but in one field you may earn 2 or 3 times than in another field? Or study for a major where it will take too many years to pay a loan for a particular major, but its starting salary is too low? This doesn't mean that you should not try to follow your dreams, but just to keep in perspective the costs/benefits before starting in a particular path in college, so that you know what is your end goal.
Also, it is prudent to see how much is the earning potential in a particular field of study after you graduate. As there could be multiple similar majors within a field, but the earning potential may differ between them. In addition is good to also know before hand how much it will cost to graduate in a particular major, before you start. As it could be the case that some major may cost more or less than others. Will you invest multiple years of study but in one field you may earn 2 or 3 times than in another field? Or study for a major where it will take too many years to pay a loan for a particular major, but its starting salary is too low? This doesn't mean that you should not try to follow your dreams, but just to keep in perspective the costs/benefits before starting in a particular path in college, so that you know what is your end goal.
Updated
Atul’s Answer
What subjects you enjoy most in the middle and high school?
Are you good in Math and Science? Engineering is a good field to pursue.
If you enjoy Physics - consider Geology or Physicist.
If you enjoy Chemistry or Biology - consider medical or similar industries.
Do not let someone decide for you. Gather info and decide for yourself. This way you have no one to blame except yourself. Even you make a mistake in picking a field, you can transfer to another program(major). Consider State Univ in your hometown which gives you many options.
Make sure you take many AP courses to get credit for the subjects you are good at it.
Are you good in Math and Science? Engineering is a good field to pursue.
If you enjoy Physics - consider Geology or Physicist.
If you enjoy Chemistry or Biology - consider medical or similar industries.
Do not let someone decide for you. Gather info and decide for yourself. This way you have no one to blame except yourself. Even you make a mistake in picking a field, you can transfer to another program(major). Consider State Univ in your hometown which gives you many options.
Make sure you take many AP courses to get credit for the subjects you are good at it.
Updated
Isabel’s Answer
I agree with all that's been said, and I think it's also important to realize that time is on your side. It's great that you've started to think about this now, but know that you have plenty of time to figure it out. Personally, I changed my major multiple times over the course of my first two years of college. Don't be surprised if your thinking about your major changes as you grow!
Updated
Peyton’s Answer
I would start by writing down your interests/passions then look into different careers you could have while pursuing these interests. After you do this, you can do research into what Majors align with your personal and professional interests.
Updated
Janie’s Answer
When thinking about a career choice, think about what you love to do. The next step is to think about is how can you make money doing it? Some people might say "I love to play video games". Now there might not be much money in playing these games, but what about creating these games? What is required to make that happen? I love to teach and train. I went to college and found a major in Industrial Psychology. That is directly applicable to what I love to do.
Ask questions, do an inventory of what you like to do, and start to look at LinkedIn and see what types of jobs are out there. Then, determine what schooling if anything is necessary. That is a great place to start.
Ask questions, do an inventory of what you like to do, and start to look at LinkedIn and see what types of jobs are out there. Then, determine what schooling if anything is necessary. That is a great place to start.
Updated
Darielle’s Answer
I would advise that you take a personality test. It will help you gauge your strengths and weaknesses. Contact your school's counselor and they should have information to provide you in this area.
Updated
PwC’s Answer
Trust your gut and follow your interests. Trust the process, stay connected with your friends, and never be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone.
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