3 answers
Elizabeth
Student
South Shore, SD
1
Question
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What is the best way for me to find a career I will maintain interest in, especially when my current interests fluctuate frequently? #Fall25
Hi! My name is Elizabeth, and I am currently a senior at Waverly-South Shore School in South Dakota. I am planning to major in political science at the University of South Dakota next year, but I often find myself questioning if that is really the right choice for me. With college expenses being so high, I really want to avoid frequently switching majors. I know I have long had interests in politics and law, but at the same time, I fear growing annoyed with those if I make a career out of it. Thank you!
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3 answers
Austin Weger
Research Librarian // Attorney
2
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Austin’s Answer
Hi Elizabeth! First off, congratulations on getting into the University of South Dakota!
I completely understand not wanting to switch majors a lot and not being sure about the path you want to take. It is great that you have a general idea of the field you would like to go into. College is set up so that you will spend the first year or two taking courses that are more general in nature. Because of that, if you find yourself a year into school and no longer enjoying political science, it will be easy to carry those "general" courses over to a different major. Switching majors isn't the end of the world, but also staying in political science your entire college career is perfectly fine as well.
Further, like Karin said above, your undergraduate major does not tie you to a specific career. When I was your age, I was 100% certain that I wanted to be a medical doctor. In college, I started off as a biology major, switched to a political science degree after my freshman year, ended up going to law school, practiced as an attorney for a few years, then I went back to school to get a Masters degree in Library Science. Now I work as a legal researcher, and I love my career!
All that is to say that you don't have to decide your final path as a senior in high school or even in college. You have so much time to figure out what you want to do in the future, and it is completely okay to pivot and change that path at any point. Best of luck!
I completely understand not wanting to switch majors a lot and not being sure about the path you want to take. It is great that you have a general idea of the field you would like to go into. College is set up so that you will spend the first year or two taking courses that are more general in nature. Because of that, if you find yourself a year into school and no longer enjoying political science, it will be easy to carry those "general" courses over to a different major. Switching majors isn't the end of the world, but also staying in political science your entire college career is perfectly fine as well.
Further, like Karin said above, your undergraduate major does not tie you to a specific career. When I was your age, I was 100% certain that I wanted to be a medical doctor. In college, I started off as a biology major, switched to a political science degree after my freshman year, ended up going to law school, practiced as an attorney for a few years, then I went back to school to get a Masters degree in Library Science. Now I work as a legal researcher, and I love my career!
All that is to say that you don't have to decide your final path as a senior in high school or even in college. You have so much time to figure out what you want to do in the future, and it is completely okay to pivot and change that path at any point. Best of luck!
Cliff Schreier
54
Answers
Rochester, Minnesota
Updated
Cliff’s Answer
Hi Elizabeth,
I can certainly understand your concern about your career choice. A lot of people feel that way and there's truly no way to be sure about it until after you start work, but you can do some things that should help you feel better.
I was lucky when I chose my degree: I worked for my brother-in-law who was an electrician and I liked that but couldn't see working outside and with my hands all the time. My brother was a mechanical engineer which sounded intriguing, but I liked electrical better, so I chose electrical engineering. After I finished my degree with digital electrical design, I thought I wanted to design integrated circuits, but I found others were much better at it than me, so I quickly pivoted to writing firmware. I liked that a lot better and did that and related things for 10 years and then I became a manager. That was what I was meant to do and have been doing it for decades.
Back to you: First off, why did you choose political science? You write that you have always been interested in politics and the law, but do you know people with your degree? Have you shadowed people with that degree or companies that hire them? You might not have experience, but there are people who do that could give an idea of what a job would be like. Do you have family, friends, relatives, or know of others who have done what you are looking to do? Have you talked with your guidance counselor at school?
What do you like to do? What are you GOOD at? What do your friends think you're good at? Do you enjoy working with your hands? Are you a people person? What people/careers do you admire? What do people think you would be good at? Self-introspection can be very helpful for your future.
There are so many resources for you to look at to help you with your choice - you can spend time looking through those. I would stay away from watching TV shows to try to get career advice - they aren't real and don't represent reality. When I graduated high school, there were no such resources, so you should take advantage of everything you can.
Also, a degree isn't a life sentence: You can change careers multiple times during your life and there's no shame in that. People change. I was very introverted, but shortly after becoming a manager I changed and now I'm quite extroverted. You will change over the course of your life and career, and I think that's great. I leaned into what I liked and was good at - I think that evolution is natural and helpful.
Cost is a big concern: You need to know what the job will pay. You have to weigh that against the cost of a student loan or other debt you will incur. Also, work-life balance is a key factor to a job. You trade your time for dollars in any job, but some jobs demand more time than others and the time spent may not be worth it to do. Information on this is available online and needs to be investigated.
Every job has annoyances and people who are hard to deal with. You have to be able to handle that and dwell on the good parts of the job. It's not easy, but it's just another thing you need to weigh with everything else.
In the end, it's still a leap of faith even with all this information. Doing the research will help you feel better about your choice.
The fact that you are asking questions and asking for help is a great sign that you will do well in your future, whatever you choose.
Good luck!
I can certainly understand your concern about your career choice. A lot of people feel that way and there's truly no way to be sure about it until after you start work, but you can do some things that should help you feel better.
I was lucky when I chose my degree: I worked for my brother-in-law who was an electrician and I liked that but couldn't see working outside and with my hands all the time. My brother was a mechanical engineer which sounded intriguing, but I liked electrical better, so I chose electrical engineering. After I finished my degree with digital electrical design, I thought I wanted to design integrated circuits, but I found others were much better at it than me, so I quickly pivoted to writing firmware. I liked that a lot better and did that and related things for 10 years and then I became a manager. That was what I was meant to do and have been doing it for decades.
Back to you: First off, why did you choose political science? You write that you have always been interested in politics and the law, but do you know people with your degree? Have you shadowed people with that degree or companies that hire them? You might not have experience, but there are people who do that could give an idea of what a job would be like. Do you have family, friends, relatives, or know of others who have done what you are looking to do? Have you talked with your guidance counselor at school?
What do you like to do? What are you GOOD at? What do your friends think you're good at? Do you enjoy working with your hands? Are you a people person? What people/careers do you admire? What do people think you would be good at? Self-introspection can be very helpful for your future.
There are so many resources for you to look at to help you with your choice - you can spend time looking through those. I would stay away from watching TV shows to try to get career advice - they aren't real and don't represent reality. When I graduated high school, there were no such resources, so you should take advantage of everything you can.
Also, a degree isn't a life sentence: You can change careers multiple times during your life and there's no shame in that. People change. I was very introverted, but shortly after becoming a manager I changed and now I'm quite extroverted. You will change over the course of your life and career, and I think that's great. I leaned into what I liked and was good at - I think that evolution is natural and helpful.
Cost is a big concern: You need to know what the job will pay. You have to weigh that against the cost of a student loan or other debt you will incur. Also, work-life balance is a key factor to a job. You trade your time for dollars in any job, but some jobs demand more time than others and the time spent may not be worth it to do. Information on this is available online and needs to be investigated.
Every job has annoyances and people who are hard to deal with. You have to be able to handle that and dwell on the good parts of the job. It's not easy, but it's just another thing you need to weigh with everything else.
In the end, it's still a leap of faith even with all this information. Doing the research will help you feel better about your choice.
The fact that you are asking questions and asking for help is a great sign that you will do well in your future, whatever you choose.
Good luck!
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1085
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Elizabeth,
You have identified the broad field of political science and law as your main interest. That's ok. I would assume that you plan to head to law school, but there are other careers in that field. And there are different careers with a law degree as well.
Your undergraduate major does not tie you to a single career. You can still change your mind or get a masters that allows you to specialize. Maybe you'll be a lawyer with your own firm, maybe you'll be a journalist, maybe you'll work in politics, maybe you'll write books, maybe you'll work as a corporate lawyer or for an NGO. There are options, and you can pivot and change your goals too.
My point is, it's unlikely, that your passion will suddenly switch drastically to, lets say electrical engineering. I have seen people wanting to go to medical/dental school after graduating with a bachelors in an unrelated major, and you could even still do that if you wanted to. So, go with your current interests and adjust as you go along.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
You have identified the broad field of political science and law as your main interest. That's ok. I would assume that you plan to head to law school, but there are other careers in that field. And there are different careers with a law degree as well.
Your undergraduate major does not tie you to a single career. You can still change your mind or get a masters that allows you to specialize. Maybe you'll be a lawyer with your own firm, maybe you'll be a journalist, maybe you'll work in politics, maybe you'll write books, maybe you'll work as a corporate lawyer or for an NGO. There are options, and you can pivot and change your goals too.
My point is, it's unlikely, that your passion will suddenly switch drastically to, lets say electrical engineering. I have seen people wanting to go to medical/dental school after graduating with a bachelors in an unrelated major, and you could even still do that if you wanted to. So, go with your current interests and adjust as you go along.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP