Having Trouble Deciding Your College Major?

Published on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 by Dania Mallette Category: College Tips

Each person is different so it only makes sense that the approach to pursuing a college education should be done in a way that makes an individual the most comfortable. Going from high school to a college or university is a major transition and while some students may have their academic futures completely laid out, there are others more than likely too overwhelmed by all the changes to properly plan ahead. If you’ve been having difficulty trying to decide how to lay out your college years and what to major in, the tips below may be able to take some of the stress out of the process.

Brainstorm Sooner Than Later Choosing a College Major

Very rarely does procrastination produce favorable results, especially when it comes to dealing with your college education. To avoid an even higher stress level, it is ideal to begin setting down the basic foundation for your college career by the time you’ve become a junior in high school. This is the time when you’ll need to really evaluate your goals for the future and decide which career choices you realistically want to pursue. Don’t feel pressured to only choose one major at this point in time, either. Make a list of your top three and as you progress through high school go back and see which ones still interest you and which ones can be eliminated. By the time you become a senior, chances are the right major will stand out to you more than before.

Do a Q&A Session

Still a bit stuck as to what college major you want to declare? Try jogging your brain by conducting a Q&A session with yourself. You can use your answers to help determine where your interests really are and which categories are more than likely just a passing fad. Samples of such questions could include:

What are my favorite hobbies?
What activities do I enjoy doing on a daily basis?
Which activities/tasks do I hate?
Do I want a career that makes a lot of money or that makes me happy?
What do I think about working in a cubicle?
Do I want to be my own boss or work as a team?
Do I handle dealing with authority figures well?
If I could have any dream job, what would it be?
What job(s) would I hate to have?
What activities bore/excite me?

Find Out What It Takes

It’s much easier to say what kind of career a person wants compared to actually taking the steps necessary to pursue it. Before you choose a college major, make sure you’re confident that it’s the right decision for you. Take your top list of possible career choices and find out what kind of degree and other requirements are necessary for getting hired. This information is readily available online and should not take long to do. Take detailed notes during your research so that you can remember which careers require what criteria if you decide to go back and look at them at a later date and time. You may be surprised to know that some careers that appeared to be easy to get into could actually call for years of schooling or getting into special programs that are highly competitive. Doing research also helps eliminate the jobs that you may have thought paid very well but in reality do not offer much financial stability.

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