There are many decisions leading to your arrival on a college campus. Big school or small school? Local or far away? Public or private? It’s common for students to experience decision fatigue by the end of their senior year. They’ve already worked so hard to graduate and earn an acceptance to college. But the critical decisions don’t stop when college classes begin; in fact, they just keep coming!
Perhaps the biggest decision college students need to make is selecting a major. A major is a field of study that you will specialize in and dedicate a substantial amount of your academic time to pursue. This choice of major will result in a distinction in your degree that you can use to demonstrate your expertise in a particular area when applying for future jobs and opportunities. This coursework concentration often requires a specific set of foundational courses, and then you’ll be given a menu of options to explore more unique topics within the field. Depending on your college, there might also be research or practical opportunities within your major that allow you to develop exceptional skills or experiences before entering the job market. But where does one even start when deciding on a major?
Start with Your Interests
As you think about your future college major, consider what sparks your curiosity and passion. What activities do you enjoy in your free time? What subjects do you find most interesting in school? What social issues are important to you? What kind of impact do you want to make in the world? The answers to these types of questions serve as clues that can help you identify potential college majors and career paths. For example, if you love stargazing on camping trips, you might start asking questions about space and astronomy. This could lead you to explore careers like an astronaut or astrophysicist. By reflecting on your interests and passions, you can identify possible pathways, and sometimes the answers will help you narrow down your options along the way. This process will happen over and over as you learn more and find new interests.
Some people have always known what they wanted to be, and they follow through on that. For many others, however, the process of narrowing down a career path is an iterative one. You might think of this process as a sculptor approaches a block of marble: you can see lines and shapes, but it takes a series of actions to chip away, chisel, and refine the block into a smooth and detailed piece of art. This process of chiseling down to a major is done by 1) exploring new ideas and interests, 2) asking questions, and 3) picturing yourself in that future. Through this process of elimination, you can refine your interests and identify new areas to explore. While exploring an avenue only to eliminate it might not feel satisfying, discovering that a particular career path isn’t for you can be invaluable. For example, realizing that you can’t stand the sight of blood before investing years and thousands of dollars in becoming a doctor can save you from a costly and unfulfilling career choice. By starting this process early, you’ll be better prepared to make informed decisions about your college major and career path.
Use Online Surveys to Discover Strengths and Interests
One step deeper in this journey beyond personal reflection is to use tools such as online surveys to sharpen your direction. Many colleges and universities, as well as non-profit organizations, offer assessments that can help you identify your strengths, interests, and possible career trajectories. Knowing this information can help inform what you choose to pursue as a major. Typically, these surveys ask a series of questions, often multiple choice, about your preferences or opinions on a range of topics or scenarios. Then, it summarizes career options or areas you may find interesting.
One example is the Holland Occupational Themes Self Assessment, also known as the RIASEC model. This assessment consists of 48 tasks that you rate by how much you would enjoy performing each on a scale of dislike on one end to enjoy on the other end. The test takes at most five to ten minutes to complete. Holland’s theory is that people have a combination of interests, skills, and personality traits that fall into one of these six types. Most people have a top two or three Holland Interest Themes and knowing this can help inform what career people might pursue.
- Realistic: “doers”
- Investigative: “thinkers”
- Artistic: “creators”
- Social: “helpers”
- Enterprising: “persuaders”
- Conventional: “organizers”
This is just one example, but there are a wide array of other options of self-assessments to take, many of which are free. It’s OK to take more than one to see where your results overlap and where they might diverge. It is essential to be honest when completing these assessments. Responding in a way you think you should or would like to be seen might be tempting, but honest responses will yield the most accurate results. Similarly, completing these assessments in a quiet setting where you don’t need to rush will allow you to consider each question carefully.
What to do with your results? While you might receive results affirming your beliefs, you might also be surprised. Go into the experience with an open mind and approach the results as a starting point rather than an evaluation. The results can inform the journey that you are on as you explore future options and should be seen as just that: a single data point to show your path. Finally, it’s worthwhile to share your results with a mentor or college advisor to help you interpret your results and determine next steps for how to use the findings as part of your process for identifying a major.
Look Ahead at Future Courses
Once you have a list of possible majors based on your interests, exploring the courses required and offered within each major can be helpful. If you find yourself excited about the offerings, that is a good sign the major is a good fit. But if you’re dreading most of the classes, it’s worth asking yourself why. The exact requirements can vary somewhat among institutions. Still, often, there are prerequisite courses that you need to take before applying to a major, core courses to establish a deeper understanding of the discipline, and major electives or advanced courses to become more specialized. When deciding among majors, it’s often a good indicator that you’re on the right track if the foundational classes interest you and you’re even more excited about the advanced coursework. This is different from choosing courses in most high schools because the further along in your collegiate studies, the more time will be spent in your chosen major.
Below are three examples of how courses become more advanced over time within a major.
| Chemistry | Economics | English | |
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| Advanced Coursework |
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| Unique Opportunities |
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Gain Practical Experience
It can be challenging for a busy high school student to gain practical experience in a desired area on top of coursework, sports, extracurriculars, a job, and other responsibilities. HoweIt can be challenging for a busy high school student to gain practical experience in a desired area on top of coursework, sports, extracurriculars, a job, and other responsibilities. However, you can be creative in seeking out experiences that will give you a glimpse into what a particular job entails. This does not have to be through a formal job shadow or internship. If you know an industry that you want to learn more about try asking adults in your life if they know of anyone who works in that field. If so, they’re likely willing to coordinate a conversation, visit the company, or have some sort of opportunity for you to learn more. By spending time with professionals in a field that interests you, you can ask questions, observe daily tasks, and get a sense of the work environment. This can be a valuable way to learn about the realities of a job and determine if it’s a good fit.
To arrange a job shadowing experience, start by identifying professionals in your desired field and reaching out to them to ask if they would let you shadow them. You can also ask your school counselor or career advisor for help setting up a job shadowing experience. Be prepared to ask questions and take notes during your job shadowing experience, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice or insights from the professionals you’re shadowing. Some questions to ask during a job shadowing experience might include:
- What are the most challenging and rewarding parts of your job?
- What education and training did you need to get this job?
- What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in this field?
By asking questions and observing professionals in action, you can better understand what a particular job entails and make a more informed decision about your career path.
Consider This Example
A former student said she wanted to be a nurse anesthetist. This is a well-trained nurse who provides pain medication (anesthesia) for patients before, during, and after surgery. Their primary role is managing patients’ medications to keep them asleep and/or pain-free during surgery. This requires constant monitoring of every biological function of the patient’s body. It’s a very technical and essential job. When I connected my student with an emergency medicine doctor as a mentor, the student returned to me a few weeks later, laughing and grateful. She said that she had received excellent advice.
When asked by the physician why she wanted to be in nursing, the student said, “I like helping people, and I like science. Also, I am very chatty and like talking to new people.” The physician replied, “Well, you know most of the time, your patients will be unconscious, right? There are other areas of nursing where you’ll be able to talk with patients more than when you give them anesthesia.” This served as a funny and eye-opening moment for this student, who gained a clearer picture of how the job she was planning to pursue was off from how she envisioned spending her time working.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the process of choosing a college major is very often a messy one that involves a lot of independent reflection and listening to others to then guide your decision-making. It’s an exciting process, but some students (understandably) become very anxious. My advice is to try out a lot of things, ask a lot of questions, and don’t be afraid to eliminate possibilities along the way as you find a more fulfilling path.
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