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What career should I study in college

I'm crecative, like writing, art, like working hard. I don't like history or math. But I don't want to major in art, and I don't know if journalism is for me. I want something useful for the future so I can get a good job. #college

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Doc’s Answer

I completely understand Cirs. It's one of the first big independent decisions of your academic life. Most likely your parents have hammered into you, choosing a major in college is an important decision. It's important to listen to your parents' concerns and advice. However, it's important for you to remember it's ultimately your major. You will have to do the work and ultimately leverage that major as you transition into the workforce.

WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?
The first thing to consider when picking a major is what you like to do. By the time you graduate high school you’ll have enough information and experience from your classes to figure out what you might or might not be interested in pursuing.
• LIST 10 THINGS YOU LOVE – Listing what you love doing, both inside or outside the classroom, is a great way to see possible paths you can take. If you enjoy art and drawing but you’re also interested in technology, consider majoring in graphic design. If you’re into business and traveling, investigate majoring in international business.
• STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES – Figuring out your strengths and weaknesses can help you assess what kind of major to go into. For example, if public speaking isn’t really your thing, you might want to avoid majors that could lead to careers like being a news anchor or spokesperson. You can also take your weaknesses and build on them in college. If public speaking is something you want to improve, go ahead and take a speech class. You might love it!

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS?
After digging into what you’re interested in and potential careers options, it’s time to think about your goals and your future career—and how easy or how hard it might be to find employment. If you have a specific career goal in mind, you might need to pick your major or program in advance, sometimes as early as when you’re applying to college. It’s also good to know what degree you’ll need for the field that interests you.
• ASSOCIATE DEGREE – The two-year associate of arts (AA) or associate of science (AS). Some students who earn this degree transfer to a four-year bachelor’s program; others use it to go straight to work. Community colleges, career colleges, and some four-year colleges offer associate degrees.
• BACHELORS DEGREE – This degree requires completing a four college program. Most students earn a bachelor of arts (BA) or bachelor of science degree (BS). You can also study toward a bachelor of fine arts or bachelor of architecture degree.
• GRADUATE DEGREE – Graduate degrees are advanced degrees pursued after earning a bachelor’s degree. Examples are a master of arts (MA) or master of science (MS). Students generally earn a master’s degree after two years of study. A doctoral degree (for example, a PhD) requires four or more years of study.

SEEK OUT ADVICE
• ADVISERS – The best source of college advice is your school counselor. They’ve helped lots of students who are making the same decisions you are. Your school counselor can tell you more about college majors and program offerings.
• PROFESSIONALS – You can also reach out to professionals working in the field you’re interested in. They can talk to you about how they got from college to where they are now. Whether they’re your parents, guardians, family members, or people you interact with professionally, set up a time to interview them. Be prepared with a set of questions to ask.

POPULAR CAREERS
As you think about your major, you should also consider which ones are most popular versus those that will lead to in-demand jobs that will increase your chances of being hired.
• CONTENT MARKETER – A journalism career will undoubtedly center around writing, and all industries need strong writers in many mediums. Content marketers create videos, articles, and images within an editorial calendar to create brand awareness, upsell products, participate in conversations about subjects related to the brand, and create a sense of community between customers and the brand. Additionally, content marketers target emails, content, social media posts, and other creative forms of communication to different points in a customer’s experience. A bachelor’s degree should be sufficient to get a job in content marketing. Starting Salary $56,000 per year.
• SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST – Tweet, share, like, post, etc. A social media specialist works for a brand or organization and communicates with the public through social media platforms to build a favorable reputation. They also review data and analytics to see how they can improve their company’s social share-ability. A bachelor’s degree is required, but you’ll also need to have a strong knowledge of social media platforms and networking tools. An internship can help make you more attractive to employers. Starting Salary $60,000 per year.
• CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST – Major corporations need to relay company-specific information to their many employees, as well as the press. This includes everything from benefits information to internal news stories to details of upcoming events. A corporate communications specialist is in charge of creating and distributing all this news, and often maintaining a company intranet. A bachelor’s degree is the baseline. Starting Salary $65,000 per year.

Remember Cirs, though this is an important decision, it is not etched in stone. If you start taking classes within your major and find you’re not enjoying them, switch classes or start trying classes in another major immediately. In fact, about two-thirds of undergraduates switch their major at least once, so keep that in mind as you take classes your first year.

Hope this was Helpful Cirs
Thank you comment icon Thank You Ash. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi Doc Frick
Thank you comment icon Thank you Simeon for your continued support. If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life. Doc Frick
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Herman’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

First of all I want you to understand that liking or being good at math does not mean someone will have a good job. Our society tends to overemphasize on STEM (and rightfully so), but the reality is there will be career opportunities for anything that you truly enjoy.

The question then becomes what do you enjoy the most, and it is often very difficult for someone to find that out. Some people might even never find out what they truly enjoy. Don't worry - there are ways to help yourself find out what career you will enjoy beyond what you have learned in school.

Now, you mentioned that you're a creative person - that's a very valuable trait in my opinion because 1. a lot of jobs require you to be creative in some shape and form and 2. this is not something robots can do better than humans and 3. you don't need a lot of experience to start creating.

Therefore, I want you to start trying to create things of your own and see if you like doing it. Here are some examples:

- Try out graphic design as Christopher suggested. It can be as simple as creating a logo for one of your imaginary businesses or as flashy as creating a website about yourself (for starter, try Wix)
- Try our some online learning about creating 3D models with programs such as Blender - you might become a great 3D Artist which also happens to pay well.
- Try to create a simple computer game with Python - you might be surprised how little math computer programming uses.
- Try to create a private blog journalling things that has been happening around you (and in the world), and what do you think about them.
- If you get to travel after pandemic, record moments of the trip and try to piece them together into a vlog just for you and your friends and family, with a video editing software.
- How about also trying out creating some 2D animation intro for that vlog?
- You can also try picking up some instruments - maybe you would be interested in creating music and writing lyrics

If you think you are interested in something, research what are the relevant college majors that help you learn more about it and makes it easier to get into that career.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!
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Christopher’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

One profession to think about would be graphic design. If you like art and working hard, this may be something you would be interested and would lead to a career after college.

Some other majors in college that you may want to look into is Communications or PR. These fields of study require writing and will also translate into a career after college.

Best of luck!
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Kristin’s Answer

Hi Cirs!

Definitely agree that a great profession can be graphic design, especially with your interest in arts. I also recommend taking classes in writing/english. If you refine and practice your writing skills, you are very marketable and a lot of doors can open for you. I think that Herman's recommendation of starting a blog is really great - allows you to express yourself but does not limit to what you write about!

I think that it is great that you are looking ahead at a future career - when you get to college and you are still unsure, take as many introductory classes to various majors that you might be interestd in. What you study in college does not necessarily mean what you are doing as a career. I have a friend who majored in sociology and is in business now. And I have a friend who studied accounting and now owns her own Etsy shop! College is a great time to get an education and find something you are passionate about, but what you majored in does not restrict you to a future career (although it can definitely help!)

Great question & best of luck!
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Edward’s Answer

Hello Cirs,

Based on your talents (creativity, writing, art) and your willingness to work hard you should finds that there are many occupations that would be ideal for you. A few college majors which you could perhaps consider are:
Business Marketing
Interior/Exterior Design
Graphic Design
Communications
Education Major

I wish you the very best.

Ed
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nirma’s Answer

I would say Business Marketing, which would allow you to have a broad career advantage because you can use your creative, artistic, and writing capabilities to help businesses or create your own business.

You can also choose English major for similar reasons.

Ideas for business or career:

Children's book author, pattern textile creator, copywriter (helping businesses write marketing pitches with short witty texts), business marketing (very creative field in general), social media manager
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Demetrio’s Answer

I just want to share an experience. This may help you with a resolution.

My Daughter did very well in school, in all subjects. She scored very high as a standardized test taker. This has nothing to do with me. It is all she. She did not like Math, accounting and business things, even though my Family had a very successful business.

As her Father, I commented many times to her that she would need to go to a business school in order to make sure she gets a good job. What did I know as the world was changing. It changes everyday and we must be adaptable to changes. She had a passion for Art, graphic arts, digital design and Social media. As a Father, I kept hounding. She gets accepted to a very good college in the business program and did very well, in fact, scored a 4.0, at the top of her class, but she could not stand the studies. As a Father, I broke down and thought this is her time and she needs to experiment.

So, she switched from business school to the School of fine Arts and continued to study business marketing and Digital Design. Lo and behold, Digital Design becomes one of the forefront vocations, today, especially when working from home. She is very happy and spearheads many projects which have to do with Journalism, software engineering and marketing.

Follow your interests and develop them. Today is a different time and YOU can shine with a passion. Research, ask questions and follow your interests. This way, you can cross study and prepare for adaptability. GOOD LUCK!
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Simeon’s Answer

I'd see about doing some kind of professional business writing. You might also consider teaching if you want to help others grow in their writing ability.
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Donna’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

Creativity, writing, and a strong work ethic are all very valuable, transferable skills, regardless of your profession. So are problem solving, project management, and building strong relationships. I am a communications leader with a background in public relations and marketing communications, and you can apply these traits and interests to so many different fields, not only marketing and communications.

My advice is to identify your strengths and then think about the types of work you like to do, and those you don't. Then talk with as many people as you can to learn about their career journeys. And meet as many people and try as many new things as you can. As your interests become more clear, you'll have a better understanding of the skills you will need, and the jobs available to fit your interests. Technology is changing the way we do so many things, and new jobs are being created every year. Look out for emerging trends and opportunities as you strengthen your skills and look for ways to apply them.

Donna recommends the following next steps:

Ask your advisor about tools available to help you identify skills and potential jobs based on your interests
Network - ask people about their careers, what a typical day looks like, and the training/skills needed
Try new things - volunteer or intern as a way to get experience and learn more about your interests, skills, and potential career paths
Keep an open mind - you may find new interests and skills worth pursuing
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Iva’s Answer

Take classes based on different areas of interest. Be open to exploring different things you may not have thought about. I am a Political Science major who ended up in Data Science. I had great foundation with a Political Science major, such as research, writing, and analysis. All skills I learned from my degree, but use in different area. Whatever you choose know that you do not have to be dependent one area for careers. Your major could fit in many different things based on the important skills you learn. Focus on skills of analysis, research and being a good communicator! Keys to any success in any job you will have later on in life.
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jamie’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

Thanks for you question. I think maybe all the students will have this confusion before go to college.

But I really want you to know two things. One is your interest, the other one is the skills you need to have that can help you to get a good job.

Because you need to know your interest that make you interested in studying the skills and more knowledge in your major.

College is a place full of fun and you can learn more about your major but also not only your major ,

but it is not the only way that effects you getting a good job.

Then it is another thing, that you need to know what skill can be used at your future job.

For example, if you are interested in writing, you can apply for a job that links with writing, not only a writer, but also a journalist. It is not fix.

So choose one major you really like that you will be a better one after you graduate, you may have more skills that maybe not everyone has,

if you choose the major you don't like, maybe you will be not happy in studying, that makes you worst.

College is a place to help you gear yourself then you will be prepared fully to go to work.

Try to find the strength you have then make it better, trust me, that will help you a lot.

PLEASE HAVE FUN.
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Schuyler’s Answer

This is such an important question to ask yourself!

It's fantastic that you know you like writing and that you can work hard. Creativity is also a huge plus. I went to college thinking I wanted to be an English major, but once I took a few classes I realized I was more passionate about other subjects. This is okay! College is about finding yourself and your passions. It looks like you've started going down the humanities path (English, foreign languages, history) but I also wouldn't rule out social sciences (psychology, anthropology, sociology).

My advice to you is to keep an open mind--you'll amaze yourself.

Good luck!
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Rebecca’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

Most colleges in the US don't require a student to declare a major until the end of their Sophomore year. I agree with what others have shared here.

Based on your interests in writing and arts, I would recommend exploring creative writing and English as potential majors.

However, since you don't need to declare a major right away, I ultimately think the best way to help you figure out what you'd like to do is to take classes in a couple different areas and see which ones you succeed in/enjoy the most. That way, you can test out journalism and other majors to decide the best fit. I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in either and I did that during my freshman year and that helped me narrow down my options.

Hope this helps!
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Desiree’s Answer

Maybe consider English, English Literature, Communication, and/or Journalism? You can always take a class or two to see what appeals to you too.

I was in the same boat as you, creative, artistic, and wasn't good at History or Science (although I loved Algebra). I ended up majoring in Communication with a minor in English literature. Communication helped me get into what I wanted to do (it wasn't until my Junior/Senior year that I enjoyed those classes though...) but I enjoyed the English courses along the way.

In the end, I became an analyst - a cross between accounting (Algebra) and writing (English).

Good luck.
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Gloria’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

I was you when I was young. And I ended up finding a way to be creative, to write, and to have a positive influence on my co-workers. I am an Instructional Designer. I create content that can be consumed directly (web-based training, videos) or taught by an instructor. How is teaching a job creative? Well, you have to be able to teach someone a job outside of being in that job. For example, I have spent several years training call center agents. There is very little opportunity to have a student train to be a call center agent by taking real calls. That would be bad for business. Instead, I have to craft a course that allows them to learn about company policies and interact in an almost real way with the most common customer calls. That often involves creating user stories and scenarios that emulate the real world without using real customer information. It requires creativity. I also enjoy that time that I get to write scripts for actors to portray customers in videos.

Gloria
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Kate’s Answer

Hi Cirs,

First: I wasn't 100% sure on what I wanted to do post-graduation (is anyone?) but I solved for this by selecting a major that taught me core & transferable skills, leaving many options open post-grad. I studied Industrial Engineering (which is math-heavy, so perhaps not a personal fit for you) which I understood would teach me how to problem solve both practically and creatively. It prepared me very well for a job in consulting, and I was always able to leverage projects/classes/principles from my undergrad that were relevant for roles of interest to me.

Second: When interviewing for new roles, a lot of it is about how you tell your story. Finding relevant experiences (both personal & academic) to speak to in interviews/cover letters will be just as helpful as having the requisite achievements - for example, you may apply to a role as a Copywriter where you talk about your meaningful experience writing for the school newspaper, versus just stating that you have an English degree.

Third: There are many ways to be creative in roles where the job title isn't "a Creative." Take some time to browse LinkedIn job postings for key words like "creative" in the job description, and you might find some interesting roles in business, technology, etc. that tap into that side of your brain.

Best of luck,
K
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Matthew’s Answer

I was a financial and business analyst for a few years. My teammate, a star in our department, was an English major. She hated math, history, and sciences. She told me she had no idea what she would do when she graduated college with that degree and was worried about what would happen with her life.

She uses her degree to help her edit/proof read reports for her team/manager, and does audit work. She creates, edits and performs presentations in office environments for internal teammates and for higher level executives. She teaches people how to perform testing of different controls and how to analyze and report results.

The point I'm making is: Most people will never be able to guess where your major will actually take you until you try something. The best advice I can give you when you look at your courses is think about "How can I use this in the future?" Chances are you wont have many answers, and in the end you'll never have guessed it would take you where it does.

Don't worry about the final result so much in college, focus on "what am I learning here? How can I adapt this to different types of work?"

I promise, at your age, I had no idea I'd be where I am today. And I'm very, very happy with the result :)
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Victoria’s Answer

Volunteer in areas that you enjoy as you continue to hone in. Leaders in those organizations may be willing to give you 20 - 30 min. to answer questions and give you guidance.

Take time to research salaries for positions you think you may enjoy on sites like Glassdoor. [you can search by job title and location]

College (at least the first two years) allows students to explore in electives while taking required minimums. That will give you time to figure it out.

Don't be surprised if you change majors a time or two. Or, even change careers after you graduate and start working.

Travel, if possible, as well - perhaps as part of a student exchange. That may give some insight.

Youth is for having fun and finding yourself. Enjoy the journey.
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nirma’s Answer

Ideas for business or career:

Children's book author, pattern textile creator, copywriter (helping businesses write marketing pitches with short witty texts), business marketing (very creative field in general), social media manager, PR publicist (if you like public speaking as well).
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Abbey’s Answer

Hello! this may not help a ton, but know that there is no need to decide right now. Most colleges have basic coursework required for all majors.
Start there. If your school has a college of liberal arts, that may be a good place to start as an undeclared student.

Speak with counselors, browse job websites, see if there is a location you would like to live, see what industries need young talent.

a "good job" means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, that means financial stability- may not be the most glamorous job, but it pays well and is needed. For others, a good job may be in an industry that gives them meaning, but may not be as lucrative.

Personally, I am very creative, but decided to keep that as a personal passion, and selected a career that would better provide financially. I still get to do my art as a passion project, and it never feels like work to me.

Good luck!
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Pamela’s Answer

Have you ever considered a career in Graphic Design, or a similar field? When I was in high school, I always said I never wanted to be an art major, because while I enjoyed being creative, it felt like having to make it 24/7 at an art school would be a chore. When I took my first Graphic Deisgn class, it was meant to just be an elective, but I fell in love with it. For me, it is the perfect mix of creativity, and problem solving. I am able to create beautiful and easy to read assets with a mix of my own art, art created by others, and typography. I went to a non-art college, so I was able to take my art/design classes, while also being able to have other types of classes. It also allowed me to have a non-art minor in management, which was important to me to have.

I think that if you enjoy being creative, something like Marketing could also be a field you could check out. Because you can be creative in your writing/ideas, while not necesarily being the person to create the visuals!

Pamela recommends the following next steps:

Research more about graphic design jobs
Research more about marketing jobs
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Matheus’s Answer

I was a Business Administration major and recently graduated in December 2019, I was extremely happy with my college experience and all the doors that opened for me once finishing my degree. From my perspective, a major in college does not define what your career path will look like and where you will spend most of your life working.

However, a major will certainly be a first step towards attaining a job and will heavily influence how much you will be earning, where you will be working, and provide you with opportunities and skills that the job market is currently demanding. Picking a major should take into consideration what you enjoy studying, what you are seeking financially in terms of pay scale once you graduate, and how much effort you are willing to put at the library.

You mentioned that you want something useful for the future so you can get a good job, this is certainly very similar to the mindset I had once in college. I wanted to do something that I know would always provide me with a competitive advantage and that there is a strong job market look forward to.

Careers in Engineering, Business, Medicine, Law are among the highest paying and will always have a strong job market to look for. Some of these could be considered inelastic such as medicine and law. They do not change significant due to changes in economic cycles. In simple terms, people will always need a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant, etc..

Consider all your skill sets, what you enjoying in your free time, how many years it will take to obtain the degree, and what you are passionate about and will lead to a solid career path.
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