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I'm in a Community College but I dont know what I want to major in.

I would like to travel around the world and explore new places, earn money and be able to help others. I'm not sure what I want to major in and its stressing me out. I'm also afraid to choose the wrong career. How can I know exactly what I want? And what classes should I take if I'm undecided? #counselor #anyone #travel #help #career #career-path

career-path help travel counselor anyone
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Doc’s Answer

Itzel if you love to travel, maybe it’s time to consider a career that will have you seeing new places on a regular basis. Using our Best Jobs methodology, we sorted through all the top career choices to find those that might satisfy your desire to travel. These aren’t necessarily jobs in which you have to travel, but rather the ones in which travel options are available. They also come with good pay, low unemployment rates and perks such as a good work-life balance.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Although no higher degree than a high school diploma is required to become a flight attendant, airlines may prefer that they have a college degree, or at least some college experience, especially as flight attendant jobs continue to be competitive. For relevant college coursework, aspiring flight attendants could consider attending a program at a travel and tourism school. Aside from education, airlines may like to see that flight attendants have one or two years of experience in customer service, like working in a hotel or restaurant, to show they can successfully interact with the public. Airlines also look for flight attendants who can communicate well with others and are skilled decision-makers, since they'll need to stay calm and level-headed in case of an emergency. Because this job requires moving around and standing, flight attendants should be in decent physical shape. They may be on their feet for long periods in a cramped space and will need to be able to help people move overhead luggage, manage equipment like food carts, and operate emergency exits.

ENGLISH TEACHER
It almost sounds too good to be true, but luckily it’s an opportunity available to people of various backgrounds, education levels, and experience. Teaching abroad is an incredible experience that gives you the chance to immerse yourself in a different culture, learn a new language, explore new frontiers, and forge wonderful new friendships. In some countries – especially in western Europe, the Persian Gulf, and parts of Asia – a college degree is officially (and sometimes unofficially) required to be hired as a teacher. Other times, individual schools may have their own requirements, depending on whether they are public, private, or follow a particular teaching methodology. However, there are plenty of other countries where English speakers without a four-year degree can be paid to teach English, including most of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and certain countries in Asia, such as Cambodia and China. There is plenty of information available online that compares the degree requirements for teaching English in over 50 countries around the world. You can also find additional information, such as salary expectations, hiring seasons, and visa requirements, that will help you decide where to go.

AUR PAIR
One of the most famous travel jobs is being an au pair. While most common in European countries like France, these jobs are prevalent across the globe. Websites like InterChange connect au pairs to host families everywhere from America to Australia and New Zealand.
If you’re responsible and are good with children, this is a great way to see a foreign country and make money. Au pairs live with a host family in exchange for childcare and assisting children with their homework or shuttling them to after school activities. Some au pairs also earn an additional salary on top of their free room and board. Many host families bring the au pair on family vacations to exotic destinations so they can help with the children while exploring different countries. U.S. government regulations require that au pairs be provided with opportunities for cultural and educational enrichment. As part of this educational and cultural requirement, the host family is asked to ensure that the au pair enrolls in and satisfactorily completes substantive academic coursework, at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution, relating to the study of American culture, values, history, geology, politics or the arts

TRAVEL NURSE
Traveling nurses move between patient homes, hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. They perform the typical nurse duties, particularly administering medication and initiating routine medical tests. To become one, you must either be a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the education requirements vary for individuals employed as traveling nurses. Most employers prefer to hire candidates who are licensed practical (LPN) or registered nurses (RN). An LPN must have a high school diploma and a certificate from a nursing training program that has been approved by an official government agency. To become an RN, individuals will have to earn a diploma, associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing. A limited number of practicing traveling nurses will have graduate education in physical rehabilitation or gerontology. Various local jurisdictions and employers have different certification and licensure standards for traveling nurses. To complete certification as an LPN or RN, candidates must demonstrate professional competency through an examination process, known as the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Certification for nurses is administered by state agencies responsible for governing health occupations.

Hope this was Helpful Itzel.
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much. Itzel
Thank you comment icon You are Welcome, my Pleasure. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Theodore Roosevelt Doc Frick
Thank you comment icon Thank You for your continued support Dexter. Every problem is a gift – without problems we would not grow. Doc Frick
Thank you comment icon Thank You Lea. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” –Anne Frank Doc Frick
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Esther Renee’s Answer

When you are undecided it can be a good thing. This may mean that you need more time to explore the possibilities and that you are aren't quite ready to settle on a specific career. Listen to your inner voice and what interest(s) give you a little stir on the inside. You may be encouraged to know that research shows that approximately 27 percent of college graduates work in a field related to their major. Point is, you are not alone and it would be good to take an easy on yourself. So what can you do in the meantime? Explore! Explore yourself! Explore your interests! Explore careers that seem to spark your inner voice! Explore yourself - by taking personality instruments/career assessment that may help point you to the type of careers that may be a great fit for who you are intrinsically, instinctively, and innately! Explore your interests by taking some time to involve yourself in activities that seem to fit to whatever careers you may be leaning towards. You said you like to travel - perhaps study abroad, go on a student tour to other countries or go on a mission trip. Get to know those from other places than yourself and ask questions that will help you understand more about where they are from. While you are undecided, take courses that do two things - 1) mostly cross applicable - meaning once you decide on a major that the course will count towards the degree. 2) make sure the courses are helping you make the ultimate decision - is this something that I would enjoy studying and doing (directly/indirectly) for a large portion of my life? Example - you said you want to help people - who? how? - what course will get you closer to drilling down the answers to the questions. Maybe you think you want to help the aging populations of the world then take a course that focuses on some aspect of gerontology. Did you like it? Yes? Keep going. No? Now you know that's not necessarily the direction you want to go. Either way, you win and you are one more step closer to deciding what you'll pursue. Enjoy the journey! Embrace the process!

Esther Renee recommends the following next steps:

Explore self - take an online personality instrument or career assessment tool.
Explore interests - get active in at least one aspect that you think you are interested in being an aspect of your career.
Explore careers - identify 3 possible careers and learn everything you can about the careers.
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much! This helped. Itzel
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Dexter’s Answer

Hi Itzel,

I think there are many different career options you can look into based on your listed preferences:

* (Any major) Work for any travel agency or airline: even if you're not a pilot or a stewardess, you can still travel a lot by working in a company that is in the travel industry. I know of an acquaintance who is a lawyer for a travel startup. She told me that she gets a yearly stipend of $2000 that she can use however she wants for any kind of travel.

* (Information Technology) Work in IT specializing in data centers: because data centers are located all around the world (and many larger organizations need their own data centers), you can travel lots in IT if you happen to specialize in this part of IT. The bad news though is that more and more organizations are moving away from private cloud and using public cloud. The good news is that larger organizations look into creating their own data centers as with size, it gets cheaper to run workloads on your own vs public clouds.

* (Any major) Go into sales: In COVID, people have not travelled much (even sales folks), but once we have a vaccine, I'm sure sales folks will travel like they did before the pandemic. Usually, working in sales means that you're responsible for certain regions, so your travel will be limited to the region (smaller companies will have regions that are cross-countries, larger companies will have regions will have regions that are cross-states).

Anyways, hope that helps. If you could specify more things that you like/dislike, I'm sure others and myself can offer more suggestions. :)

--
Dexter
Thank you comment icon Thank you Dexter I appreciate it. Itzel
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Itzel! I think that you still have time to decide! The good thing about cc is that if you are undecided you can still complete many general education classes for a much less cost than a traditional university/college. That being said focus on taking those general education classes for now and see if you can maybe join clubs that fit your interests. It really takes time, to be honest sometimes the end result is not shown right away. You like to help others so maybe you can be a counselor or even a healthcare professional career can be considered but remember the choice will always be yours. I agree with the previous answers but in the end you will know what is right for you. Give yourself some time, and try to knock out some gen. eds so when you do go to a large university or college you will concentrate more on the path you want to take. Also when you are taking different classes maybe you will come upon something that will fit alongside your goals!

As a side note traveling is amazing and if you find something that aligns with your career goals including traveling as well that will be great! However if you like something that may not have traveling, remember you can always still travel when you have vacation time and enough money saved up, so don't let it limit your options!

**I have attached an article below that may also be a little more helpful!

I wish you the best!

Yasemin recommends the following next steps:

https://www.petersons.com/blog/how-to-decide-on-a-career-path-during-college/
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Nineesha’s Answer

Choosing a major can be hard. I would first pay attention to subjects you enjoyed during high school. Did you enjoy / do well in Science/Math courses and / or English/History courses? I would also ask yourself what issues or industries you're naturally curious about in the world. Something to also keep in mind is that majors don't have to necessarily determine your career! Especially with majors like Business Administration / Industrial Engineering, there are many types of industries and companies you can work for.
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Pallavi’s Answer

Hi Itzel,

It's ok if you don't know what major you have to take. Just apply as undeclared major. When you go to college then you can decide what you like as you'll meet so many new students there and some of them can tell you about different different majors.
Even when I joined my college I took Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics. In my college, no one with that combination then I realized that computer science is an emerging field and I should get into it and I tried it and got it. But after two year I thought I took wrong decision but one day one of my friend showed that how computer Science is so important and you can get better job as well salary. After that day I never look back and I got better in Computer Science. So you should believe in yourself and be committed, determined that one day you'll get there.

Everyday first thing thing in the morning make sometime for yourself and introspect like what you want and what you like. One day you'll get the answer and right major for yourself.

Good luck!
Pallavi Mangal
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Mike’s Answer

Itzel,

I am from Mahtomedi MN originally. I am 30 years old and I, as well had concerns about the right career path to choose and what was the right major for me. I completed my general courses first while experiencing as much as I could-Travel abroad, met as many people asking about their job/life experiences, worked in as many different industries as possible, and read as much as I could (about all career opportunities).
By the end of my second year I found out I simply enjoyed interacting with people and I have somewhat "a gift of gab". I started in sales early on and this gave me clarity (which I had no direction when graduating HS) and confidence in pursuing my major in Business-Supply Chain. Take your time with this decision. This will eventually come naturally.
Have a blast. Good luck.
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Sarab’s Answer

I suggest that you try a handful of courses as part of the curriculum and figure out which ones interest you more than others. It is okay to suspend decisions for sometime if it is possible. Life is a lot about experimenting and it is okay to take some time out to explore and yet enroll in a college. Talk to people in different professions to figure out opportunities and challenges in their vocations and see if that helps you move in one direction over the other
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Bryce’s Answer

Hi Itzel,

Every college is going to require general education requirements so I would knock those out those classes first, this usually takes about 1-2 years to complete. If you are still unsure about what career path at that point I would recommend seeing an advisor. There are a lot of career paths that can take you around the world like business, communications, social work, education, and many more. Another option you may want to explore is study abroad where you can complete general education courses while also traveling and exploring other cultures. There are a lot of options and it all comes down to what you are passionate about.
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Diana’s Answer

Thinking about your future and using your resources (reaching out to CareerVillage as an example) is a great way to try and narrow down your career goals, which in turn will help determine your major and educational focus. Taking transferable, accredited and general educational courses while in community college will help save you money while you figure out your career goals.

There are opportunities available to travel while in school through study abroad programs. You also might consider taking some time to volunteer through organizations that travel to other countries to help others. Just remember, all knowledge and experience is valuable, and you still have time to figure things out!
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Gloria’s Answer

Hi Itzel,

I actually knew my major when I went to college at 18. I did not graduate with that major. I wanted to write so I chose Journalism as a major. I even chose my university based on that major. However, I did not consider how competitive a project like that would be. So when you look at majors, learn as much as you can about what having that major entails. Consider majors that appeal to you. Unless the job that you want would benefit from a specific college, I would say choose a college based on its overall benefits, not just based on a major.
Since you are just starting your college experience, you should not feel a lot of pressure to decide on a major just yet. Most of your major work is done during your junior and senior year. I would suggest that you work hard on the general courses that you need to take at your university – English, History, Math, etc. I would also recommend that you challenge yourself with the elective courses that you take. If you do not really know what you want to major in, you should start to look in places where you have never looked. Take the elective that you don’t even know what it is. That will expose you to new experiences that may catch your attention. Or you may find that something you don’t think would be a good major is actually what you want to do. You should not be afraid of majors where you are not quite sure what you will do with it as a job. I ended up graduating with what is the equivalent of a Liberal Arts degree at a lot of universities. And what do I do? I am an Instructional Designer.
I have traveled to 18 countries, mostly because of my jobs in Learning and Development. I was an Instructor for several years and now I am a designer. There are a lot of jobs that can ask you to travel around the world. What I would recommend is finding your passion and then find work at a global company. That is the best way for you to have access to international travel, work for an international company.

Good luck on your search for a major. I hope that this was helpful.

Gloria
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Irma’s Answer

It's okay to not know what you want to do professionally right now. Take your time and focus on the core requirements.
Thank you comment icon Irma, do you have any suggestions on how this student could decide on a major? Any suggestions would be helpful Gurpreet Lally, Admin
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Jose’s Answer

Please don't tie yourself up in emotional knots over what you think you might want to do with the rest of your life. You are fine just the way you are. I wish our society wouldn't put so much emphasis on getting money, power, and fame causing people to feel inadequate. Come on out of those states of stress, fear, and confusion which all lead to chaotic thinking which undermines your sense of wellbeing. There is a rhyme and reason to life which provides ways to figure things out. You are alright and you're going to be ok. Have confidence and be determined!
Right now it appears you like most of us have been pulled right outside of ourselves. We try to find our answers to life outside of ourselves when actually all of the answers are within us. You see one career and saw wow that's interesting but then there's another career where the pay is better or there's more opportunity with this other one... see the cycle goes on and on until we go crazy trying to figure everything out. Does this sound right? In all actuality we are to be paying attention to who we are and what we do well and more importantly the things we do that bring us and those around us happiness and fulfillment. When you can identify these qualities and aspects of yourself then you apply them to the world and its needs.
You can travel the world as a tourist, a pilot, a salesperson. You can make money in so many ways and the same with helping people. Look at your life gifts and talents and what you are thinking about in general terms now will narrow down to more specifics. Lastly, you don't have to have all the answers to everything all at once. Look at selecting your major as you are armed with the power of knowledge and you are making competent decisions!
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Holly’s Answer

Pretty much any degree program has the same basic english, math and science requirements. Do those but see if there are any other classes like business, computers, health or education classes that dont require that degree as a major and take a few. see what you like and what you dont. also, seeing as how you are already in college, go to the career services department. they can give you tests to see what majors you would most like and they can help you figure out a major/career.

Look for something career wise that is pandemic/recession proof. I'd hate to see you as one of these people that get a degree and then the job market tanks and they end up not being able to find a job.
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Aaron’s Answer

Hi Itzel,

You should conduct research on available opportunities that are within travel. First you should decide what type of work you would like to do within the travel industry and where do you want to travel. For example if you would like to travel to Europe research job opportunities that are available in this part of the world. To figure out what major you want to study you should conduct research on career opportunities available within the travel industry and when you want to major in this industry then this can help you with making a decision on what classes you should take in this field to help you achieve your goal. Hope this helps.

-Thank you,
Aaron
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Darin’s Answer

Hi Itzel it's ok to be undecided with what you want to do. Not everyone knows what they want to do when they enroll in college, I was one of them. College is the best place for that to happen and the best place to explore new experiences for yourself because if your studying something and decided into it that it's just not for you it's easy to change your major to something else. How I narrowed down what I wanted to study is I sat down and put together a list of things I was interested in and possible careers I could do with my interest. Then I set up an appointment with my college guidance counselor to discuss options for myself and got myself in a career and life planning class. The best advice I could give you is explore things and take classes that sound interesting to you or it's something you've been wanting to learn more about. Doing that you never know where it may take you or a new hobby you may find.

Everyone wants to make money but it sounds like you have some kind of an idea of what you are looking for knowing you want to travel, explore new places, and help people, that's definitely a start. With those options may I recommend looking into nursing, teaching, the airline and travel industry or hospitality
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