PRISCILLA
I am currently in my second year of college, and I still am undecided on my major.
I am currently in my second year of college, and I still am undecided on what to get my degree in. I have taken personality tests, spoke to counselors, spoke to friends but I still feel as if I am lost and my heart doesn't know what it wants. I need help. #psychology #career-counseling #sociology
11 answers
Sarah Highstone
Sarah’s Answer
Hi Pricilla,
Sorry selecting a major has been hard so far. Many students I've worked with as a Career Advisor were unsure about what major or minor to select, but eventually declared after weighing options and comparing the reasons to select one major or minor over another.
Let me share with you my observations on how I’ve seen college students select majors as well as minors. I think this may be helpful to you:
“Selecting a Career as a Major"
Some students decide their major because they plan to do this after college in their job/career. An Accounting major is an example. Let’s say you meet an Accounting major and you ask them why they chose Accounting. They reply after college they plan to be an Accountant, so that’s why they chose this major. That one’s pretty simple! :)
“Selecting an Area of Work as a Major"
For example, let’s say a student selects Business as a major. When you ask them about it, they reply working in Business is something they want to do after college. They know (or think they know) what they want do in Business—something in Finance perhaps—but they know they want to work in some area of Business. They also say they’re minoring in Finance, since they think they want to go into Finance as a specialty. So overall for this student, selecting the Area of Business and knowing all about business will be helpful to them in their future career. So selecting an Area as a major (Business is just one example) is another way students select majors.
“Focusing on a Skill as a Major"
For example, let’s say you meet a student majoring in Japanese. When you ask them about their major, they reply Japanese fluency is a skill they think will be useful to them in their future careers. They mention they were introduced to Japan and Japanese during a study abroad trip and know they want to go back and work there after college. They tell you they are interested in teaching English in Japan after college, or maybe working in Japan as a blogger, translator or for an International organization. They also tell you they are considering a minor in one of these areas—such as journalism or business—to give them knowledge about these areas and help them find work after college. Overall, for this student, being fluent in Japanese and having the skill to speak it will be useful to them no matter what for future jobs. So this is another way to select a major, by a skill that will be useful in the future.
“Choosing an Interest as a Major"
Let’s say a student is majoring in Health Sciences. When you ask them about their major choice, they share they’ve always be interested in Health Sciences, and majoring in it they think will give them opportunities for different careers. They say they had an internship at a health clinic one summer so they have a general idea about what they want to do—such as work in a health clinic, in public health care, or even go to graduate school. They also share they’re are minoring in Chemistry--a skill they think will be helpful to them in the future, especially for health care jobs. So for this student, majoring in an Interest is what will helpful for them and they chose a minor that could be a Career (Chemist), or an Area (Chemistry), or used as credits if let’s say they wanted to apply to Medical School later on.
“Selecting a Subject Matter as a Major"
For example, let’s say you meet a student majoring in History. When you ask them about History as a major choice, they say they've always loved learning about History in school. They know majoring in History doesn't lead directly to careers like other majors, but they think it could help them get into other areas after college—such as a career in government or getting in law school. They also are thinking of applying to a PhD program for History. So for this student, their major is not a direct route to a career, but an indirect one.
Other Ways to Select a Major
I’ve also seen college students select majors in other ways. These factors below are important to consider but should not be THE ONLY factors:
-Deciding on a major because of the expected salary earnings after college (ex: majoring in finance because they want to make a lot of money, but besides $, does not have reasons finance is their major.)
-Choosing a major because of future job growth in an industry (ex: majoring in Computer Science because they hear anyone with this major can get a job, but besides this, don't have other reasons why they chose this major.)
-Majoring in something their family / parents want them to major in
Here is additional advice about selecting majors and how they relate to careers:
Your Major (or Minor) Can Be Many Things
You may have noticed from above that Majors (and/or minors) can be a Career, Area, Skill, Interest & Subject Matter--ALL at the same time. A major (or minor) could also be a Combination of Career, Area, Skill, Interest & Subject Matter too.
For example, let's say a student is majoring in Accounting. After college, they could:
-Work as an Accountant (their major--Accounting-- is their Career).
-Work for an Accounting firm like KPMG or Deloitte, for example, as a Consultant advising clients on financial strategies (their major-- Accounting-- is an Area or Industry they work in).
-Work as an Auditor, using their accounting skills, to review the work of other accountants at many different companies (Accounting is the skill used in their job).
-Work as a Forensic Accountant investigating fraud and embezzlement (their major--Accounting--is the Interest area of their job).
-Work as an Accounting professor (their major-- Accounting --is a Subject).
Majors (or minors) can also be a Combination of Career, Area, Skill, Interest & Subject Matter. For example, a student majors in Graphic Design. After college, they could:
-Work as a Graphic Designer (their major is their Career)
-Work for a Creative, Marketing or Advertising company as a designer or art director (their major--Graphic Design--helps them get into an Area or Industry to work in)
-Work in Photography or Web Design using their Graphic Design skills (their major will give them the skills to use in related creative jobs)
Your College/University should have a list of all majors and minors offered. Every major/minor offered is here https://www.mymajors.com/college-majors/
Employers are Seeking Specific Skills
Employers will be looking for specific skills when they hire you for an internship or first job after college. It is important to know what these skills are -- how to get experience in them by the time you graduate. Employers are looking for students who are getting experience both in--and outside--of school and the classroom. Students who have completed internships and/or have work experience (part-time, summer) on their resume will stand out to employers. Students who volunteer, and/or clubs and organizations--especially if they have held leadership positions in them--will stand out. Employers also look for students who have proven technology skills. Here is what employers look for: http://www.naceweb.org/uploadedfiles/files/2016/career-readiness-resources/nace-cr-resources-are-you-career-ready.pdf
#3 -Should you “Follow your Passion”?
Some students ask if they should select a major by ‘following their passion’. This is a very personal decision. Here are questions to ask yourself:
1.Can you pursue your passion while in college?
2.Can your passion be a part of your life, now or in the future, even if you don't major in it?
3.Is majoring in your passion the only way to keep it a part of your life?
4.If you were to major in your passion, would it be your career?
(See answers below in RESOURCES)
I hope this helps.
Thanks!
Sarah
RESOURCES
INFORMATION ABOUT MAJORS (& Career Options for them)
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors-careers
INFORMATION ABOUT DIFFERENT CAREERS
--Onetonline.org (Use “Occupation Search” bar)
https://www.onetonline.org/
or use
--US Dept. OF Ed. --BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
INFORMATION ON ALL INDUSTRIES
https://www.onetonline.org/find/industry?i=0&g=Go
JOBS WITH HIGHEST HIRING POTENTIAL THRU 2024
https://www.onetonline.org/find/bright?b=1&g=Go
COLLEGE DEGREES & MAJORS MOST IN DEMAND BY EMPLOYERS
http://www.naceweb.org/job-market/trends-and-predictions/job-outlook-the-degrees-and-majors-most-in-demand/
SKILLS EMPLOYERS SEEK IN COLLEGE GRADS
http://www.naceweb.org/about-us/press/2017/employers-seek-teamwork-problem-solving-skills-on-resumes/
SHOULD I “FOLLOW MY PASSION”
Some students ask if they should select a major by ‘following their passion’. This is a very personal decision. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1.Can you pursue your passion while in college?
2.Can your passion be a part of your life, now or in the future, even if you don't major in it?
3.Is majoring in your passion the only way to keep it a part of your life?
4.If you were to major in your passion, would it be your career?
Answers (& Suggestions)
If you answered No, No, Yes, Yes, consider majoring (or minoring) in your passion as your education could be keeping you from doing what you love most. If you answered Yes, Yes, No, No, you may want to consider choosing another major (or minoring in your passion) as you may always keep it present in your life.
Here’s are some examples of following one's passion and deciding on a major:
A student, very passionate about Film, had been involved in making and studying Film since they were in junior high. They went to college choosing Film as a major since it was their passion. They enjoyed the film classes and advanced skills they were learning. Eventually they started to look at working in the Film business after college and saw jobs might be hard to come by and pay low to start. After meeting with their faculty advisor, they were encouraged to research other industries and companies that hired film majors. The student found out that many marketing and advertising companies worked for the film industry, marketing films to consumers, and would be looking for college graduates with some of the advanced skills learned by majoring in film, so the student decided to add a Marketing Minor to their degree to strengthen their knowledge of the marketing industry. And after college they got a job at a marketing and advertising company, specializing in marketing films and tv shows.
Another student was very passionate about Video Games. This student loved games since they were young, had made several of their own, and chose a college where they could learn to make Video Games. However, after completing two years of the Video Game curriculum, they didn’t think it was a good fit any longer. In their classes, they were learning a lot about the history, design and art of games, instead of "making" or programming them. After researching the classes and curriculums of other majors where programming was more prevalent, they decided to change majors to Computer Science, because this was where their "passion" was-- in the making and programming of the games, not majoring in Video Games. So they changed majors to Computer Science. Now the student is exciting to be learning different types of programming languages, and open to the possibility of working in a variety of industries after they graduate--even using their programming skills to work at a Video Game company in the future.
Marjorie A. Goode
Marjorie A.’s Answer
Priscilla,
I concur with the other contributors; don't panic about your indecisiveness. My first career was in dental hygiene working in clinical and public health communities. Later, I went to graduate school and specialized in mental health counseling, but worked as a high school counselor for 30 years.
Some options to consider are:
1. Consult with your college's career center and inquire about taking a career aptitude test/inventory.
2. You might also inquire about taking a personality test/inventory since many assessments have a positive correlation between results on personality and career tests.
3. Consider a liberal arts degree and perhaps options/opportunities may develop that offer insight about career possibilities.
Hope this helps and best wishes in your future endeavors.
Destiny Abercrumbie
Destiny’s Answer
It is still early in your college years to decide on what major you want to study. My advice to you is to take a few classes that interests you and see what you like to study. You can't go wrong to pursue a major in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences or communication, it all depends on what you like.
Georganne Shibata
Georganne’s Answer
Priscilla:
Some very good guidance and suggestions have been given in hopes of helping you in this quandary over determining a major of study. I know you must worry about trying to make every course count for your time in college ; however, sometimes just taking off a year or a semester may help. Then when you do return you can direct your attention to a more specific area of study or opt for a liberal arts / interdisciplinary major.
Stay positive and remember that learning is ongoing. It's amazing what the mind recalls even after we leave the classroom.
Bethany Topham
Bethany’s Answer
You can't go wrong with a business degree of some sort, those skills transfer into alot of different jobs. One thing you could do is go to a website like Indeed.com. Do a random search for jobs and start reading the qualifications. This will give you a picture of what is required to be hired for different kinds of jobs.
Jeff Sloan
Jeff’s Answer
Priscilla,
First of all, don't panic. My mother used to tell everyone that I changed my major in college 50 times! I seem to remember only one time but I'm sure the truth is somewhere in between!
Think back over the last two years of classes and even back to high school. Was there a topic or class that interested you? Was there one that you really looked forward to going to? If there was, you might want to take more classes in that topic to see if you really enjoy it. Also, talk to some of the professors. What do they enjoy about their field? What drew them to it? What do they find fun and interesting about it?
I ended up in computer science. It was the challenge that intrigued me. I really found it interesting trying to figure out how to solve a problem and create the solution.
Katja is correct. It's never too late to change your major and education in any form is valuable. If you graduate and decide your chosen field is not good for you, you can always go back and take classes in other areas.
Take a deep breath and don't worry. It will work out for you!
Best of luck!
Jeff
Hi there Jeff! Yes funny that you say but I have always had an interest in computers! I did look into majoring in computer science as well, however there is a BIG BUT in there. I am horrible at math!! I just can't seem to get it right. I have struggled with math since I can even remember. That is why I decided against computer science. I thought perhaps a minor in comp sci but then I am still asking myself... what will I major in? Thank you for your response. You def gave me something to think about.
PRISCILLA
Priscilla,
Don't let math deter you. I was never good at math. In fact, it took me as long to get my math minor as it did to get my computer science major!
You can get tutoring through the college. You can take remedial math to come up to speed. Talk to the math profs to see what they recommend.
Jeff
Jeff Sloan
Isabelle Maury
Isabelle’s Answer
Kajal Ramtekji
Kajal’s Answer
Priscilla,
DO NOT PANIC! Trust me most of us have been in the same boat.
As Bethany mentioned, i would say a business degree is very versatile and skills you get there can be easily transferable and applied to different jobs. With lots of schools, you have the option to pick and choose courses which will help you understand about your interests and passions. I studied electrical engineering during my undergrad but quickly realized that even though i had interest in the field i didn't quite have the aptitude. I then chose subjects from telecommunications engineering and marketing and luckily found my passion :)
Katja Lamers
Katja’s Answer
It is always difficult, especially at such a young age. But you will realize whatever you will chose with motivation and dedication you will always end up in the direction that is right for you - you learn by doing.Remember can always still take a right or left turn, its never too late and will only expand your knowledge :)! There are no wrong choices when it comes to educating yourself.
Rachel Resnick
Rachel’s Answer
<span style="background-color: transparent;">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.</span>
This professional recommends the following next steps:
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>
