How do you decide which major to take up in college?

Its absolutely a great idea to try to expose yourself to as many careers as possible. Additionally, job shadowing can be a great way to see what a career actually entails from the inside. Being that you're in junior high and already thinking about this, you'll have a great head start.

Hi Christina!

This is a great question and one that so many people struggle with!

I would say take your first year or two to take those classes that sound really interesting to you- you may discover a passion you have that you didn't know about previously!

One of the biggest things I've learned in college is to not be afraid to change my mind. You may start college thinking that you'll go in one direction, but for the vast majority of people, that's not the one they end up in. Remember that you have so much time to figure out what it is you want to do.

I chose my major by figuring out what I was good at and what I liked to do. I think having a combination of both is so important! You may be really good at coding, but hate it. That's going to make miserable career experience down the road. But if you are really good at coding and you love it, you're set!

It's just about trying new things until you find the thing that speaks to you most. Also, think about grad school and if that's something you want to do. Your choice of major may be impacted by this decision! For example, if you decide you really want to go to med school, try to major in something in the sciences!

Hi Christina!

You are asking a very important question. Selecting a major in college and selecting a career are both like buying a pair of shoes. They might look nice, but you need to try them on and walk in them for a while to make sure the comfort and fit are right for you.

Participating in intern, coop, volunteer, and shadowing programs will allow you to experience the "inside" of a career - to try it on, so to speak. Your school counselor can help you locate such programs. Also here is a sites that will help also:
http://www.fastweb.com/
https://www.volunteermatch.org/

Another good person to talk with is the head of the alumni relations department at your high school. This person forms a community of graduates of your school and can put you in contact with graduates of you school who might be working in your major area of interest so that you can see what they are doing, how they got there, and how you feel about what they are doing. Also, this will also work for exploring colleges, as the head of the alumni relations department of colleges can help you find graduates of that college who are working and living near you so you can explore their college experience along with their career. Here some tips on getting information and forming relationships that will benefit your during your education and your career:
http://www.wikihow.com/Network
https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations

Another good person to talk to is the reference librarian at you local library who can help you locate professional organizations to which people in you major area of interest belong, so that you can go to meetings and mix and mingle and learn more. These organizations are very welcoming to students and many times even have student chapters or units.

Best luck! Please let me know if and how this might help. Keep me informed, I would like to follow your progress!

Hello,

You can have 2 options here. Either:
1. You are not sure between different fields within the same industry. for instance, I knew I wanted to choose business but I was not sure which area of business. I chose a broad course (management) where I covered all aspects of business from marketing to business law. After my first year and after having covered all different aspects of business, I was able to specialise in the field I wanted (marketing).
2. You are interested in fields part of different industries, then you could do a double major e.g. literature and maths etc.

I hope this helps!

Make yourself a 5 year plan and base it off your interests and career interests. Also Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to