It is now September, and that means that school has now started or will soon to start for us college/ trade school students. For some of us, we already knew what we wanted to major once we have begun our higher education career, but for others, it has always been a struggle trying to find the right major. In this article, we will be focusing on how most people choose their major(s) and how important it is to have a chosen major as a freshman. We will also discuss how common it is for people to change their major within their higher educational careers.
When you first mention to others about going to college, the first two questions are usually asking where you're enrolling to and what is the major you are pursuing while there. For people who are undecided, you may feel pressured to say a major and may feel like you're the only one without a deciding major in mind, but don't worry because you're not. As a first-year student, it isn't as important to have already declared a major. According to Princeton Review, the major you choose will neither predict nor guarantee your future. Many graduates find jobs that have nothing to do with the major they graduated with when they were in college. And typically when it comes to declaring a major depending on your school, you can wait until your sophomore or junior year to make a final decision.
The news about unlikely you may end up having a career you majored in probably made you more nervous about declaring a major, but now I'm going to give you some tips when it comes to finding the right major for you.
One thing to consider when thinking about possible majors is that any major you pursue will prepare you for a particular career path. You should talk to students and advisors of the departments of the majors of interest. You need to know whether or not the major or majors you are considering come with a strict regimented order of courses. Knowing that is very important because if you start taking those classes late, you may fall behind and have to extend your college days longer than you planned. And before declaring a major, you should take a couple of classes within those majors to get a feel of the subject. Also, don't narrow your career options by picking an overspecialized major, such as Marine Biology. By overspecializing a major, it places a danger that once you graduate, you will have a small choice of options to choose from after you graduate. Only a very few people stick with one career for their entire life and having an overspecialized degree can lead to problems when you decide to pursue a different career path. You will be better off earning a degree in the general field such as Biology because most jobs are looking for people who are skilled in critical thinking and communication which you learn in college, but you will be able to gain industry-specific skills within the workplace.
When people think of majors, they usually choose them because of their promising high salary for that field. I'm going to tell you off the back that thinking this way is not a great way to go about things. I say this because if you're not happy in that field than the amount of money you make in it will not be worth it for long.
For some people, they end up choosing a subject that they absolutely love with a passion. When you love what you're studying, you are mostly to remain engaged with your classes and college experience. You will also be able to maintain good grades and develop great relationships with others in your field. I was personally able to experience this when I finally concluded that it would be hard for me to not declare English as a major of mine. I always loved to write as a very young child and even started my first year in college as an English major, but after looking at the possible job markets in Maryland, I found it impossible to find a career that I would enjoy once I graduated. After I gained my realization about a year ago, I concluded that I have to get an English degree because I was losing my passion for completing a college degree. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Psychology as well, but with the stress of back to back tests and having fewer opportunities to write about topics I care about, I was close to developing depression. I am in a better place now as I'm now majoring both English and Psychology and I know what I want to do in the future with both degrees. If you're worried about not being able to find a suitable career through graduating with a degree, you chose through passion and not through future job opportunities; I'm going to tell you with confidence that you should still choose that major. I say to still chose that major because, through the rest of your college career, you will be able to talk with other students, advisors, and teachers in that field who can help guide you into finding the right post-college job for you. They can also help you find internships and subject groups on campus. And if you still don't find the right job for you, then you can always create that perfect job for you as well.
And then there are those people who started college with a chosen major and now wants to change it or add to it. It is very normal to want to change your major while in college. While you are experiencing a different type of freedom while in college, you will also be introduced to new subjects that you never even heard before until you stepped into the college world. According to Borderzine, about eighty percent of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once. And on average, college students change their major at least three times within their college career. There has been two main reasons why people end up changing their career, and those reasons have been the fact that their parents or very close family members had chosen that major for them and they realized it wasn't the right field for them. The other reason is that while they were in college taking courses in that major, they came across being unable to pass those classes. As a Junior, I can tell you that I have changed my major for both reasons. I changed English from a minor to a Major and Psychology to a minor when I found that the Psychology classes were too hard for me. And I had chosen the Psychology major before adding English because I researched the salary for counselors and my parents believed I would have a promising future in that field.
To conclude, College is a whole different world, and it's sometimes impossible to pinpoint exactly where you see yourself post-college career. It is ok not to have a declared major until your sophomore or junior year, just be aware of the time limit you would need to complete that degree. And for others, choosing a major was never the problem, but after taking several classes, you realized that the major you started off with is no longer the major you want to finish college with.
Cited Work
https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/choosing-college-majors
http://time.com/4103006/college-major-tips/
http://borderzine.com/2013/03/college-students-tend-to-change-majors-when-they-find-the-one-they-really-love/
