Rebecca
How did you decide on a college major?
I am torn between different majors and I am feeling some doubt about my choice. I need some advice. #Major #advice
3 answers
Megan Nunan
Megan’s Answer
I have been there! I was so torn between Nursing and Business - two very, very different tracks!
I ultimately decided to go the business route, but a lot of work went into that decision. I took a class at my school that outlined all the different medical routes I could go (nursing, optometrist, dentist, etc.) - it was SO helpful. I was able to talk to the actual doctors and nurses that were in those jobs and walked me through their journey and what it took to become a medical professional.
Here's the good news - you are not stuck with this major if it's not what you want!! Take a few classes, see if you like the subject matter and most importantly, speak to people who are doing that job! It is SO valuable to hear from people who are actually doing the job. I myself picked Accounting as a major and realized it was NOT for me, so I was able to change my major to Logistics.
And guess what - now I work as a recruiter! So I do neither Accounting nor Logistics and love what I do.
Don't stress too much about picking the "right" thing - listen to your gut, do your homework, and talk to people doing that job!
Simeon Snow
Simeon’s Answer
Sergei Dines
Sergei’s Answer
Here are the steps I took : 1) Research growing careers. 1b) Research oldest careers 2) Make an excel file. 3) Put in the excel file at least the following : interest(i.e. personal interest), salary (use glassdoor or a salary estimator online) , locations (cities / states you'd want to live), actual locations(city/states with those jobs) use indeed to search keywords to see how many jobs come up or better yet use LinkedIn(you should have one of those by the way), growth (i.e. can you move up if you wanted to , is there that potential?). then use a simple formula (add a 0 - 10 score for each category, 10 being the highest). The more categories(interest, salary,ect) the better because it will zero-in to a more accurate answer based on your values. Add up the score at the end as the final column. Keep the excel file and re-visit it to highlight what didn't work but also to edit values ( i.e. location may be more important or schools in those cities, you get the point). That is the most objective way to go about it. You are never stuck. You can always find a way to adjust and change. So do not be afraid of that, we all initially are about that. However, sometimes you just have to take a chance because no amount of excel file can make you actually decide and take action; that's on you.
Sergei recommends the following next steps: