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What made you choose the major you decided on pursuing for the next four years as a college student?

As an incoming freshman, enrolling in university next year, after deciding your major, how many times did you rethink and say to yourself, "is this truly what I want to do for the rest of my life?"

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Murat’s Answer

Picking my college major was a big deal for me. I wanted to choose something I was really interested in because I'll be studying it for a while. I also thought about what jobs I might want in the future, so I looked for a major that would give me good options after I graduate.

I tried to be honest about what I'm good at, hoping to find something that matched my skills. This way, I'd enjoy my classes more and do well. My family also influenced me a lot. I have role models who went down similar paths, and seeing their passion and success inspired me to follow them.

In the end, it was a mix of my interests, future plans, personal strengths, and family influence that helped me decide. I'm really excited and confident about where this choice will lead me!
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Jeremiah’s Answer

I chose my major by focusing on two things: what I was genuinely good at, and what would give me long term opportunities. I enjoyed math, problem solving, and understanding how things worked, so engineering fit me well. Over time, that decision opened doors not only in my career but also in my personal life and business opportunities I've taken on. My advice is to choose a field that matches your natural strengths and gives you room to grow into different paths as you mature.
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Shannon’s Answer

Hi Taylor!

It took me a few semesters to decide what I wanted to do. At first, I thought about becoming a paralegal, then finance (even though I'm not great at math), and finally chose Human Resources. It's perfectly fine to change your mind, even more than once. You should find something that makes you happy.
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Rebecca’s Answer

Thank you for your question. Many students have similar doubt or question when making decision on their major. Firstly, you need to find out what careers you have interest first. the relevant subject is the major you can explore further.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Think about what you have interest, e.g. your hobbies, favourite subjects, etc. and identify the related careers
E.g. If you like music, would you like to be a musician, singer, musical artist, music composer, music producer, etc.
If you have interest in maths, would you like to an accountant, finance manager, engineer, banker, financial analyst, maths teacher, etc.
2. Find out more on these careers and determine what you have interest.
3. Speak to someone who are working in these careers. Seek guidance from your mentor, school career, counsellor, your parents, etc.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue. The relevant subjects are the major you can consider.
5. Explore the entry criteria of relevant subjects in the colleges.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
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Wong’s Answer

Hi Taylor. Choosing a major for college is a big decision, and it's very normal to question yourself while doing it.

Most students choose their major based on a mix of interest, strengths, and future goals. Some pick a major because they enjoyed a subject in high school or had a hobby related to it. Others choose a major because they think it will lead to a stable career. Some try to find a balance between what they love and what feels practical. There isn't a right or wrong reason, the important thing is that the choice makes sense for you.

Once college begins, it's very common to rethink your decision. You may take new classes, meet new professors, or learn about careers you didn't know existed. These new experiences can make you wonder, "Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?" This question doesn't mean you chose the wrong major, it simply means you're growing and exploring. Asking yourself these things is a good sign that you care about your future.

Almost every student questions their major at least once. Many even change it. Even those who keep their original major have moments where they doubt themselves. College is a place to learn about different fields and discover what you really enjoy, not a place where you're stuck with your first choice forever.

As an incoming freshman, you should give yourself space to explore. Take your introductory classes with an open mind. Talk to academic advisors, older students, and professors as they can help you understand what each major is really like and what kinds of opportunities it leads to. And remember, your major does not decide your entire future. Lots of people end up in jobs that aren't directly related to their major, and they still build successful careers.
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Hagen’s Answer

Hello Taylor,
As Wong kind of said, it's a big decision and it's not a big decision. It is important because it helps you begin to focus on your long term career goals. It's less important today because there's a lot of change and the likelihood the career of the future is going to be long lived is increasingly unlikely. The other reality coming from a former hiring manager is your 4 year college degree is something of a check box. It might be more important if your college degree is in compsci or medicine or business but in general companies don't ask beyond 'do you have a degree'?
So what to do?
Although it's hard when you're young, probably the most important thing you can do is be honest with yourself about who you are. It's tempting to focus on who you want to be or think you should be or who it would be cool to be, but in reality you are who you are and it's best to come to terms with that early in your life and career. What do I mean by that? Well, say you want to be a singer, but you don't have an exceptional voice. Maybe you want to make a lot of money in business but you don't really like the math and you're not very good at it. Maybe you want to be a executive but you don't really like a lot of stress or don't cope well with stress. Those kinds of contradictions will plague you your whole life if you let them.
Much better to align your life goals with your talents and strengths and not expend a lot of energy trying to be someone else - someone you're not. Trust me I spent a lot of my life thinking I could be anyone I wanted to be only to find that wasn't exactly true.
The good news is you can be very successful and dare I say it, "happy" if you can discern your real self. College can help mostly because it gives you a tour of a lot of possible yous - you can try on different personas and careers by taking classes and seeing how they feel (boring, exciting) and also do you seem to have an aptitude for them or was a it a struggle? Some subjects are inherently a struggle so hard doesn't mean bad, but hard and boring isn't a good combination. Hard but I loved it is way more promising.
The only common denominator I can recommend today is get good at AI. That doesn't mean become a data scientist, It means learn how to integrate AI into your learning style. Think of it symbiotically. You have things you need and things you need to do to get them. AI doesn't. It needs you to say "Hey Google" I need to learn trig so I can get a degree in science cause that the career I have chosen. It turns out AI is REALLY GOOD at trig, AI is really good a most things, but you have to learn how to put it to work helping you accomplish your goals. So learn how to work with AI - it takes work and experimentation and it's surprisingly difficult to really get proficient at working with AI.

Hagen recommends the following next steps:

Think about subjects that got you excited and in which you did well in high school. College isn't really any different - learn from those experiences
Be honest about what interests you and what you seem to be good at
Don't be afraid to try new things in college. You have your whole career to be stuck doing the same thing ;-). College is more of a laboratory - experiment
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Marty’s Answer

I was lucky enough to study for a career that still holds my heart after many years - that said, it's not mandatory to stick to a career that you've outgrown. Change can be good - follow your heart and your wallet.
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Liz’s Answer

Hi Taylor, it definitely took some time to really carefully think through the choices. My approach was to narrow in on a couple of career areas that I had researched carefully, and then to apply for degrees in both those fields. What really decided me on business in the end was the ability to take a broad range of classes for the first couple of years, combined with some practical work experience. That allowed me to be really clear on what I wanted to specialize in. Which I did. Keep in mind that anything you learn and do and practice is going to be great life experience, and often times a career involves getting experiences in areas you didn't necessarily study. it all builds. Good luck with your decision process. Liz
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