How do I know when i'm making the right college and career decisions?

David, George has some great advice above. I would like to add my thoughts just for what they are worth.

You asked what the characteristics of a good decision are. I believe that the first task is to decide what "good" means to you. There are a lot of people who try to apply their definition of good to you and too often we get lost in running a rat maze trying to meet all of those expectations and forget the most important thing: we own our decisions and choices and we have to live with the consequences. If you are trying to decide what a good college decision is, first decide what YOU want to get out of college. As George mentions, look at what you are passionate about and see if the college will provide the education to help you pursue those passions. The same applies to a career. We all have to do things that we are not passionate about like taking some of those "boring" classes at school, but they are necessary in order to achieve our goals. Recognize that your career is a journey and not a destination. During your "career", your passions may change several times. You may end up really enjoying some of those "boring" topics you had to take along the way because of experiences or changes in circumstances. A "good" career is one that YOU believe is good. Follow your passions (sports, science, literature, math, accounting, programming, social science, etc.).

If you are not sure what your passions are at the moment, don't worry. It is time to explore. Most college curriculums offer the general education classes for all degrees. Make a decision on a college you think has what you want, take the gen ed classes, find students, councilors and professors in your chosen area and question them about their experiences, expectations and opportunities. Find out if it really sounds like YOU. If not, ask around in other areas until you find something that sparks your interest and then change. Change is good when it is done for the right reason. Don't be afraid of it. You can change your mind about your passions, courses, degrees or careers when you find that you are not happy with your current path. I personally changed my degree four times in my first 2 years of college and I changed colleges once to get what I finally decided on. When I started my career, I began in agriculture and have ended up in the High Tech industry. All of the experiences I've had along the way have contributed to my current role so I feel comfortable that I made the right decisions along the way.

I would recommend taking the "Strengths Finder 2.0" survey to help identify where your strengths are and possibly help you with a direction. It is a book that can be purchased for less than $20 at Amazon. It has a short explanation of what it is supposed to do and then provides an on line questionnaire to identify your strengths. Once you get your results, you can use the rest of the book to clarify each of your strengths and help you understand what they mean and what to look for. It is a good tool to help answer questions about your personality and help give direction to your search. Good luck in your decisions and in whatever career(s) you decide on.

As far as college goes, I didn't know right away myself. I switched majors halfway in. I did have an idea of the industry I wanted to be in but I sought out career counseling and took personality tests to further confirm my career path. Additionally, I read job postings to get an idea if they would be jobs I would pursue after college. I found out early on that I was very strong in some classes and then leaned towards a career with the same skills. I would suggest getting all the prereqs/requirements done first so it is easier to change (if need be) once in college for a 1-2 years.