How do I know what to do in the future?

*please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors*

Hi Alex,

I'm really glad you asked this important question. I've worked for 11+ yrs hiring college students for jobs/internships and as a college career advisor and met many students like you who also think it's hard to narrow down a major, especially when they have many interests!

Below are some ways I've seen students decide on a major. I hope sharing how others did it will be helpful to you!

If after you read it, if it's still a difficult decision for you, I suggest you write down all the majors you're still considering. Then ask yourself these questions about each major:

"After college, would I want to…

1. Work as (this major)?

2. Work in the career field or industry that hires (this major)?

3. Use skills learned from (this major) to work in other jobs?

4. Can I do other things with (this major) in case I change my mind after graduation?

I also included some other info below on how to find a major, in case you need more information to help you decide.

Good luck!!

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"I Want to Be A..."

I've met students who knew what they wanted to be since before they arrived at college. You've probably met them too! They are the students that say, "I want to be a _____." And what they say they want to be, is also their major. So for example, "I want to be an Accountant" or "I want to be a Nurse". Simple, right? :) Their major is based on their future career—like Accounting or in Nursing--and their major provides them with the education, skills and knowledge they need to start their career and go on to advanced studies if they desire.

"I Want to Work in..."

Other students I've met are interested in working in a certain "Career Area", such as Business or Information Technology. The Career Area they are interested in working in becomes their major. They may not know exactly what they want to do (for instance, as a Business major, they might not know if they want to just work in Business, or specialize in something like Finance or Sales), but they know they want some type of career in the business world. Choosing a Career Area like Business or IT as a major gives students the fundamental knowledge and skills so they can start their careers in their area after college, and be open to possibilities in their area in the future for higher education and advanced career opportunities.

“I'm Really Good at..." or "What I Love Doing is..."

I've also met students who are very gifted in a certain skill or love doing one thing, and want to major in that in college. Some examples of students who had skills or talents that became their majors included majors like Fine Art, Graphic Design, Spanish, Creative Writing, Dance, Animation, Film—just to give a few examples. After graduating, their majors might turn into their careers (such as working as a Graphic Designer, Writer, or an Animator) or their major would lead to another career altogether. For example, a Graphic Design major I knew was hired as a Photographer and a Film major hired as a Web Designer. It's been my experience that students who graduate with a major in a skill (like Film or Graphic Design), are good at developing a wide range of skills from inside and outside their major, helping them to start their careers after graduation and nimbly change careers if needed later in life.

“What Really Interests Me Is..."

Finally, some students major in a subject area they are very interested in. There are no limits to the areas of interest that students could major in, but some of them include majors like Anthropology, Asian Studies, History, Law, Philosophy, Political Science & Government, Urban Studies, or Psychology. The students I've met who choose a subject area of interest as a major have done so to lay a solid educational foundation that will ground them no matter where their future takes them--to begin careers in their major area, to leverage their major for opportunities in a different career field like education, government, social services, etc., or to pursue graduate studies.

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Hope this information was helpful!

One last suggestion...no matter what major you decide on, if you haven't already started, try to get experience developing skills in areas like problem solving, critical thinking, and communications--just to name a few. You can develop these skills through experiences like campus clubs, activities, sports, study-abroad, volunteering, part-time work, internships, etc. It will be helpful to get this experience--regardless of your major choice, future careers or employers. Here's a recently published list of the 10 Skills Employers Most Want (but you can also Google "Skills Most Desired By Employers" for more ideas).

HELPFUL RESOURCES

CAREER ASSESSMENTS

https://www.truity.com/view/tests/personality-career

WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS MAJOR?

http://whatcanidowiththismajor.com/info.html

CAREER FIELDS (under "Occupational Groups")

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

COLLEGE DEGREES & MAJORS MOST IN DEMAND BY EMPLOYERS

http://www.naceweb.org/job-market/trends-and-predictions/job-outlook-the-degrees-and-majors-most-in-demand/

JOBS WITH HIGHEST HIRING POTENTIAL THRU 2024

https://www.onetonline.org/find/bright?b=1&g=Go

You asked a very important question. During my years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I have encountered too many students who skipped some important steps in determining their future and ended up in a career/job for which they were ill suited. Here are some steps that I have found to help prevent that from happening.

Hi Alex,

You have been given some excellent advice and resources already. One additional thought to consider is to gain insight into your true strengths. My favorite assessment is StrengthsFinder. The resultingreport will provide insights into the natural strengths you possess as well as potential options for education and career options. This information along with the other resources that have been given will give you a full picture of the most relevant options to pursue. Best of luck.

One of my professors in college told me not to specialize in any one thing but to try many things. To learn what motivated me and have passion for what ever it was I wanted to do. Don't be afraid to fail, learn from it. It is better to fail by trying then to fail and not try at all.