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Is it ok to not be certain on the major you want to study for in college?

I have multiple majors that I am interested in but I do not know which one is the right option for me. #decidingmajor #undecided #career-counseling #college-major

college-major career-counseling undecided decidingmajor
Thank you comment icon Hi Jaidyn! Many young people like me can relate to the confusing and overwhelming process of choosing a major/career. Try not to stress out too much okay? You're young. It's normal and okay not to have your whole life figured out. Just keep an open mind! Try to join different clubs that spark your interests and start asking around. Your friends, cousins, neighbors! You may found out about a major that you've never heard about or considered that you fall in love with. Mireia
Thank you comment icon From there, try to find shadowing or internship opportunities so you can see what happens in different careers on a day to day basis under the guidance of an expert. And remember, it's totally okay if you end up changing your mind! Many people do and it's actually better to do so earlier on than to be chained to a major you don't love waking up to study for. Hope this helped and I wish you the best in your major choosing endeavors! Mireia
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David’s Answer

Yes.


However, you will have to decide one (in the case of UNC-CH it was 2nd semester of Sophomore year). Personally, I took classes that interested me, but also classes that would fulfill the 'general education' requirements (most liberal arts schools have a good number of these requirements).


In my case I went from wanting to study biology and genetics to studying computer science (something I had never tried in high school). I didn't rush the decision, but took math classes that I enjoyed and a computer science class that interested me. The next semester I signed up for a few more and by the time I HAD to decide on a major, I knew what to pick. If I had made the decision before ever stepping foot in a college classroom and forced that decision, I would not have picked computer science.


Finally, I have peers who received their degrees in languages and political science and they work in technical fields. Your degree choice at ~19 years old isn't a determination of what you have to do with the rest of your life.

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Stephen’s Answer

It is perfectly normal to not have everything figured out the moment you step onto campus. This is actually one benefit of furthering your education, most colleges offer a wide variety of avenues to explore and you will certainly not be alone on campus as the majority of people there are most likely having similar experiences. As many others have generously pointed out on this thread, some of the better things one can do is explore, be open, and try things out. Most colleges do not require a formal declaration of major until end of Sophomore year, providing many opportunities to get general electives out of the way in terms of credit, but also to try things. Joining clubs and groups is a great way to network and explore different opportunities. It is also important to remember that not everyone gets a job/career in the field that they thought they would, this is also perfectly ok and normal. The key is to take best advantage of the opportunities provided while there. It is important to learn to think critically, analyze information, but most importantly to want to learn and grow. These type of things will help in any career path one would choose. I may not be working in the exact field I have me degree in, but I certainly would not be where I am without cultivating the skills an education helped foster.
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Gloria’s Answer

Hi Jaidyn,

I would say that you will not go wrong with any major you choose. Why? Most people that I know did not graduate with their first major. I did not certainly. I changed my major five times. But that was not a waste of time. Instead, it helped me learn a lot about different subjects, enough to know what I didn't want to do. The first two years of college are often just a series of general courses that all majors have to take. This allows you to learn a little bit about a lot and help you really determine your major.

Gloria
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Jason Aaron’s Answer

We've all had this problem. Some people can't pick a major period while others are majoring in multiple departments. Picking a major should come down to how you weigh the pros and cons of the industry. Ask yourself this; Is this career going to be around in the next 5-10 years? What are the things I like about this subject vs the things I am not fond of. I love helping people and working with others. So I thought about going into Medicine, Nursing or the medical field. Great pay but the work schedule of 12 hour days, rotating midnight shifts, and on-call, were turn-offs for me. However, those things might be something that you might find more rewarding than painful. I started majoring in Computer Science as a programmer. Good pay, long hours and the industry is always booming with growing technology. However, I got tired of being secluded in a computer lab all day and enjoyed being able to interact with others. Eventually i switched my major to Marketing because in this field, i was able to fit the things that I enjoyed doing, along with my personality strengths to be successful. Hopefully these examples help. Good luck to you.
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Alfredo’s Answer

Hi Jaidyn,

Absolutely. It's hard to know what one is truly passionate about if you have never tried it out. I recommend you do the following: (1) take classes in every single field you are interested in, (2) talk to professors about the courses, majors, and potential career paths after graduating from such major, and (3) join clubs in school related to those majors. This three-tiered approach should give you a much better idea as to what you find most interesting while trying it out. And if you end up liking a bunch of different majors that's ok too. You can major in one subject and minor in the others.

Hope this helps!
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Jaidyn! Don't worry it's normal to not be sure of your major, when I was in college I knew many classmates who were unsure of their major and actually were undecided for a while. In college especially as a freshmen you take general education classes that help you explore different subjects, so you can definitely add those to your schedule at first instead of deciding on a major and not being sure about it. You can declare undecided and complete those gen eds; also this will give you time to explore other options and clubs and see what you really like! Just be sure to be full time (~12 credits) and by junior year declare your major!

Best of luck!
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Kevin’s Answer

Yes, many people (including me) didn't or don't know what major they want to take!

I would recommend taking aptitude test there are different ones that will give you insight into your interest and related careers that match your personality type. obviously once you have an idea of what you would like to do as a career then that should help with deciding on a major.

some aptitude test even provided information on the different careers (schooling necessary, etc.) as well as the type of jobs people with your or similar personality types have

I think Briggs and Myers was one of the aptitude test
I am assuming you can find aptitude test on line

picking a career that is meaningful to you, one that you can enjoy and excel at is extremely important, take the time to discover what you are truly interested in (Good Luck)










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Noza’s Answer

Hi Jaidyn,

Yes it is ok to not be certain on the major you want to study. You never know what you would be expected to do in the future. However, to have little certainty in your life especially in your career will help you to win some time. Of course we were not born with certain plans in our minds. In order to find a major that you really enjoy and you see yourself in it in the future, I would recommend you to try internships and part time jobs related to majors you are interested in. This will help you to get a taste of a real world and also you will get to see how does it feel to be working there in the future. I would also recommend you to find a mentor who is working in a major you are interested in and ask them to describe you their daily routine, what do they like about their job and what they don't like. I hope once you go through this path you will have a clear vision of who you want to be in the future. I hope I could help you somehow. I wish you good luck with everything in your life!
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