FIND THE RIGHT MAJOR FOR YOU!!
Updated: Oct 13, 2022
To me, a major is a combination of what you like to study, what you are good at, and what can get you a job after you graduate.
Interest + Strength + Job potential
To be clear, you don't need to find a major that all three of them. These are just suggestions so you can have a better idea of what you need in a major.
Interest
Many people, like me, choose a major because we want to learn about this one field of study. Studying Anthropology made me happy, and I learned and grew a lot thanks to this education. However, this degree, combined with my international status, made it hard to find jobs. Choosing a major only because you like it can make it hard for you to find employment because what you like maybe not be what people need.
Strength
Many people choose a major they know well and can do well. This choice gives you the advantage of comfort and time. You already know a lot and you save time by working full force and achieving great things earlier than your peers. One complaint about this choice is that you might get stuck in the same thing and feel bored or uninspired.
Job potential
Many people choose a major that has excellent financial potential because they need financial stability in the future. College is a significant investment, so making sure that you can gain back is understandable. However, please note that majors are usually in high demand because they demand great time, effort, and money to learn them. So make sure you know how much you are putting into this investment.
So all of this has a good side and a bad side. Well, what do we choose?
The combination
In my opinion, majors should be a combination of at least two of these elements. All of these choices, separately, have disadvantages. But if you combine them, they can reduce the weaknesses and give you a better study experience and work experience later.
So how do I choose?
Sit down and take a piece of paper or open up a Word doc. First, write down all the majors you are considering at the top part of the paper. Then below that, write down the answers to these questions:
what do you want from this college degree?
How much time do you have for college?
How much money do you have for college?
Do you care if the classes feel boring?
What job do you want to work in the future?
After you are done, look at your answers again and mark all the majors you still want. If there are still too many options, think about the three qualities above and think again. Do this until you have a few or one major that you like. Then do a quick google search and learn a bit more about the majors. This can help you choose the right one.
No idea what to choose?
If you don't know anything about any major, then let's get more information first. Now, you can ask yourself more questions about what you like, are good at, or interest you the most right now. If not, think about what kind of life you want to have later and think of your major as a way to get the best jobs that can make that future happen. Then have fun on Google, searching for things like " most popular jobs right now," "jobs that will be popular in 4 years", "flexible hours jobs," or "major for sport lover." The idea here is that you search for any job or major suggestions that interest you and learn a bit about the majors or careers available for you.
Changes happen
Lastly, please understand that changes can happen, so changing major later is normal. Choose what is best for you now and do your best as you go. I believe in you!
