What kind of major gives me the most career opportunities?

For starters, you will not know what you should do with your professional career until you truly understand yourself, what drives you, what you are passionate about, etc. This is a soul-searching exercise you will have to do with yourself during your early college days, regardless of whatever major you choose. I for one started with an aerospace engineering degree because I loved planes. All I wanted was to design military aircraft and work in an amazing aerospace company like Lockheed Martin. Unfortunately, as I finished my freshman year, i realized it wasn't relevant because I was not a US citizen. So I picked my second-favorite topic which was computers. I moved colleges and when i graduated with a computer science major, i joined a networking company where i didn't really write any code but was more focused on helping customers design their networks! Today, i focus on cyber security and work for a company in a very exciting industry that i am very passionate about. I regularly help our customers protect themselves against hackers, data loss, online protection, etc. and I realize that i have plenty of opportunities in cyber security as it's a growing industry. My lesson here is this; if you are passionate about what you do, you will be the best at any career you pick!

It's great that you know your interests can change! I encourage you to think in terms of how to decide what's next if you don't like your original major instead of trying to figure out your #2 choice in advance. Here's what that looks like:

Take the required intro courses for your intended major and also take general ed courses that make you curious or that seem interesting. Pay attention to what you like/don't like, what feels energizing/tiring - in short, what brings out the best in you in both your major courses and other courses. I suggest you keep some notes for yourself so you can see patterns, such as "I really enjoy solving analytical problems" or "I'm not sure I even know how to do a research paper" or "I notice I keep talking about what I'm learning in this particular class." Those are all clues to your own particular strengths and aptitudes, and they'll help you figure out your next steps, such as asking faculty members or seniors what kinds of analytical problems they get to solve, finding out where to get information on how to write a research paper, going to a talk or club meeting related to that course you keep talking about, etc.

In other words, take it step by step and pay attention to what you are learning about yourself along the way in addition to learning what is taught in your classes. You might also want to go talk to guidance or career counselors on campus as you learn about yourself, because they can give you perspective on how to change a major while having all the credits you have earned apply to your degree and to your future career.

Hi Deborah, Trying to figure out what you want to do, what to major in and what college to attend...all at the age of 18 can be stressful. As you heard, most freshman students go into a college with an undeclared major or even switch majors or schools year 2. Let me give you some ideas to think about...my thoughts are around Business and a major in a technical field like Computer Science. A study in Business is broad in year 1 & 2. You will learn basic business concepts. It is in year 3 that you need to establish a discipline in a specific focus like Accounting, Business Communications, Business Mgmt. There are many paths you can take once you have a BA in Business (any market or vertical focus can leverage someone who has a BA degree...you may even want to start your own business after learning from a large scale company). Let's talk about a major in Computer Science/Information Mgmt...this is another great study around the technology field.. This does not mean that you walk into a technical job. It does mean that you can get a job at a company that leverages technology (ask yourself ...who doesnt use technology to grow their business)...there are so many paths to take once you have a core understanding of IT...Once you figure out your study, I would look into the best colleges that focus on these majors. The schools that offer the most in these areas (classes, teachers, interns, practical assignments in the field) should be top of your list to consider.

I agree with Deborah! I was similarly undecided. I knew I either wanted to be an Language Arts/English teacher or work in marketing in a business. An older relative of mine suggested I focus on an English degree because it would be useful in both areas. I ended up working as a teacher for a few years and then got a job in marketing.

You can always double major in something--you'll probably have to work pretty hard in school and pick majors that have somewhat similar requirements, but that give you even more flexibility.

And honestly I know a lot of people who now work in areas drastically different than what their major was in college. Over time they find ways to break into a new field using the skills they already have. So don't feel that whatever you pick as a major is necessarily going to be what you have to do every day for the rest of your life!

I had 4 majors through my studies at Syracuse University. I started as a Bio major and moved through Finance, Computer Science and finished with Mathematics. It took me to my junior year to settle in on a degree. Initially, I was concerned the math degree would limit my opportunities to teaching or actuarial opportunities, however, it was the complete opposite. The math degree showed the potential employers I had the ability to think logically and provide higher level thinking to solve problems. I was quickly hired in a technical sales role which allowed me to leverage my thinking skills, but learned job specifics through the training available from my employer.

So do not be afraid to explore something you like because there are opportunities available to be hired that are not obvious. Good luck!

If you're not sure what you want to do then take a flexible subject that will allow you to use it as a base. You'll then be able to build on this with conversion courses that will support your career preferences.