Sarah
Going into college undecided?
I am going into college undecided and it makes me worried that I will not be able to find what major and ultimately what type of job to go into. Is there anything that someone found helpful to find the right path to choosing a fitting major? #undecided #major #job #worried
4 answers
Yvonne Koh
Yvonne’s Answer
Hi Sarah,
It is totally okay to not have a major in mind going into college! Choosing a major can be a difficult decision as there are so many considerations to think about. Here are some things that might be helpful to find the right path to choosing a fitting major:
I would suggest you to take the required general education classes first and find one that interest you the most. Taking these classes might not necessary help you find the right major, but it might help point out which subjects you are less interested in and hence narrow your areas of interest. Remember that your perceptions of certain majors/classes may not be entirely accurate, so feel free to explore your options and enroll in a couple of classes that sound interesting to you!
When you are in college, be proactive and speak to your professors, advisors, career counselor, or even your seniors. Find out how they choose their major, listen to their experience in their chosen field and see if that is something you could see yourself enjoy doing in your future career. Ask them what they like and dislike most about their work, and the greatest challenge and satisfaction they faced while pursuing their career goals. Ask them what advice could they offer for you. Don't be afraid to ask if you could shadow them at work too! Make observations and take notes while you shadow on what you would want and don't want in your future career. Connecting with the right people can often provide some insight and set you up for long-term professional success.
Here are some questions you should consider asking yourself to help evaluate your choices: What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are you interested and passionate about? What kind of life do you want to lead? What are your values and motivations? How much money is enough? When you picture yourself on a job in the future, are you working with people, ideas, things, or data? It is very important to get to know yourself better when choosing a major. You can find some salary information of different careers here: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/wages/find-salary.aspx?frd=true
In addition, there are a lot of career aptitude tests online that you could take to find out which career are best aligned with your skills and interest. Taking multiple of them may give you insight into your career personality and help you discover which is the right career for you. Check out this website for an example of a career aptitude test you can take: https://www.careerfitter.com/free_test/careerbuilder
Lastly, always keep in mind that whatever your plans are, choosing a major is not a final life and death decision. If you found out along the way that one field of study does not satisfy your intellectual appetite, you can always consider switching your major or even taking a minor. Every degree opens a path to many opportunities.
I hope you find this helpful to start. I wish you success in all your future endeavors.
Yvonne recommends the following next steps:
Thank you!! I will ask my admissions specialist about career aptitude test and if the school has a recommended test.
Sarah
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Gloria Ortiz
Gloria’s Answer
I changed my major at least five times before I got my diploma. Of course, it also took me 17 years to be my Bachelor's degree. Why? I hadn't really considered a few things.
I had focused on one thing and one thing only, Journalism. I had not considered enough majors before choosing one. I just didn't have a lot of life experience. I didn't start college in the Internet age. I would say research the jobs you could get based on a major. What jobs interest you? Some jobs have multiple majors that you could take and be successful in the job. My job, Instructional Design, has many majors that could serve you well in this position - English, Creative Writing, Computer Science, Graphic Design, any arts that include creating videos or animation, as well as Education.
Also understand elements outside impacts to the degree. I actually knew my major when I went to college at 18. I wanted to write so I chose Journalism as a major. I even chose my university based on that major. However, I did not consider how competitive a project like that would be. So when you look at majors, learn as much as you can about what having that major entails. Unless the job that you want would benefit from a specific college, I would say choose a college based on its overall benefits, not just based on a major.
Gloria