Should I choose a major in something I'm good at? Or something I would like to learn more about?

When I look at outrageous cost of college today I think the approach should be what do I want to do for a living? What kinds of jobs would I be willing to want to get up and drive to work to do? Those should be around your likes, but at the same time be realistic in what they pay. $80,000+ in college debt for a job that pays maybe $25,000 may not be smart move. Try to limit this debt as much as possible. So figure out your career path and then figure the fastest education path to get there. I mean you can take a science class or have a minor, but be mindful that its costs a lot of money. That when it comes time to buy a house, start your own business, do you want it be burdened in debt?
I would look at careers you like and talk to people in them. Look into pursuing a internship to learn about them. Plus they can lead to jobs. Which the whole point of college or trade school is finding a career you like.

My advice to you is to major in something you are passionate about! If you're not sure what you would like to do, you can do some volunteer work in different fields or ask for informational interviews with professionals you may aspire to be like one day. College is a major investment both in time and money, so its important to major in something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life.

You can find job profiles online, do some networking, or take career tests if you're not sure. If you have something you really love doing, you might want to check out what kind of careers are available in that field and what kind of degree those jobs require. I started on one path in college, then switched to something new about half way through, so you always have that option also. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure it's something that will make you happy!

It depends on how much you enjoy the pain of studying each. Do you work hard at the thing you enjoy? Do you throw yourself at it with lots of energy and enthusiasm? Do you study outside of that thing, maybe talking to people who work in the field or reading books that are not on the syllabus. If you put a ton of energy and enthusiasm into it despite how exhausting that effort may be, then I'd stick with it. On the other hand, if it just comes easily to you and you're coasting through your classes and are doing well despite putting in no effort, then I would consider other routes. What's going to happen when the work gets hard? By the way, the work always gets hard. Michael Phelps didn't just wake up one day and find himself an Olympic athlete. He pushed himself constantly. His lungs burned. His muscles ached. He went to bed exhausted every day. But he loved it and had a special talent. So he worked as hard as he possibly could.

Also, why not both? I majored in business and psychology. Two seemingly disparate fields that I studied simply because I was interested. Now I work in marketing, which is a blend of the two. The worlds of computer science and biology have massive implications for the world and the world wants to read about and learn about those things. Maybe you can be someone who uses knowledge of both to help the CS and Biology worlds to connect with the larger world. Technologists and scientists are usually poor communicators. Maybe you can be that bridge?

Good luck!

Hi Elisabeth!

You should choose a major based on the career that you want to follow. Remember, you will be spending a lot of time in this career, so it has to be something that you are looking forward to doing every day.

You will know when you have done enough exploration when you find an area that is comfortable, rewarding, and challenging.

Best of luck! Keep me posted. i would like to follow your progress.

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>

This professional recommends the following next steps:

• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>