Should the amount of jobs available in a certain field help determine my major?

Hi Taylor,

That's a great question, and it really boils down to what is the most important to you. Some jobs require specific college degrees (think engineers, and medical fields), whereas quite a few may only require a degree (non specific as to in what), or no degree at all for entry level. If there's a job you're interested in that requires a specific major (anthropology or otherwise) you could consider majoring in that field.

Less than the majority of college graduates get a degree related to their major, and after that, their future jobs are usually found through their network/people they know. Remember, whatever you decide to major in, you can always change your mind in college. It is not set in stone. During my time in college, I knew many people who did big changes in their major. From bio-med to studio art, or going from music to computer programming. Keep in mind that changing your major can extend the amount of time it takes you to graduate (which also increases the amount of money you spend). So that can play a critical factor in deciding what you want to do.

Personally, I started college as a "Humanities Undeclared" major, because I was PRETTY sure I wanted to go into journalism. Fast forward one year later and I changed to a major in Studio & Digital Arts, because, although I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career, I knew what I was interested in enough to finish college with a degree. My first job out of college was loosely related to art, but for the past 10 years I've worked in the telecom/technology field, and have had opportunities to use my degree and knowledge to stand out in way that differentiates myself from the technology and business majors here. I've also seen engineers here now working in marketing, and communications majors working in diversity & inclusion. They're all happy with what they're doing now, and were also happy with what they chose as their major in school.

There's no right answer here--I advise you to consider carefully what you think will make you happiest in college. Four years is a long time to spend studying something that you aren't interested/passionate about, and if you aren't sure what that is yet, that's okay too. Lots of us didn't know what we wanted to do, and some of us that did, changed our minds partway through, which is also okay.

I believe that you should choose a job that you will enjoy doing more days than not, are challenged and see a path for growth. Your major does not need to define what your career will look like. I studied International Relations in college and then went into a career of Sales and People Management. I do not regret my major as I loved learning about it, however I do not use that knowledge in my day-to-day at work, and that is okay!

Choose a major that excites you first and foremost!