How to Choose a Major That Is Right for You
Don’t follow your dreams. Why? Your dreams can be misleading.
Sometimes in an effort to help you pick your major, people will offer well-meaning but misleading advice that causes you to feel more confused. “Follow your dreams” is one such piece of advice.
At times, dreams can help give you a vision for the future, but often dreams are often just dreams. Dreaming something and having the abilities and resources to accomplish that dream are two different things.
Another such piece of advice is “you can be anything you want.” On the one hand, you only do what you truly want to do (within reason). However, on the other hand, you can aim for a major you truly desire to study, but ultimately this major will lead you down a path filled with years of struggling and doubt.
So how can you pick a good fit major from the start? Consider these three questions that can help lead you into a major that equips you to succeed!
**This post is a little heavy on the realism but not for the purpose of crushing your spirit. Instead, this post is aimed at helping you take practical steps toward a college major that enables you to succeed (rather than changing majors over and over again).
What connections do you have?
If you’re leaning towards a specific field (e.g. business), what connections do you currently have to someone in that field? Do you have an acquaintance in that industry? Does your parent have a personal relationship with someone in this area?
You’ve heard the phrase, “it’s not about what you know; it’s about who you know.” Well, it’s very true. While connections aren’t the only determining factor when picking a major, connections are critical. Connections are critical not only to landing a job but to gaining experience and receiving helpful advice.
If you have no connections in your potential major, don’t quit on the idea. Rather, determine if you are willing to put in the hard work to get the needed connections. It will take persistance, but if you truly desire to be in that field it will be worth it.
What experiences do you have?
College students often pick their major based on a person or persons who deeply impacted their lives. For me, that person was my violin instructor. She was a person who always believed in me, pushed me, and encouraged me. From pretty early on, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to help other people like she helped me.
College students also pick their major based on a volunteer or work experience. For one of siblings, this meant that he shadowed a nursing professional. After spending a day watching what being a nurse was like, he quickly decided this was not the path for him.
When you think of your potential major, consider what experience you have. Regardless of the type of experience, the insight you gained through this experience should tell you a lot about you.
The answers to these kinds of questions can help determine whether a specific field or major is a good fit for you:
What did you find frustrating?
What did you enjoy?
What exhausted you?
What energized you?
If you have little to no experience in your potential major, don’t drop this idea completely. Instead, work to get all the experience possible in this field. Ask to shadow. Look for volunteer opportunities. If possible, try to work in some capacity in that field. Then, you can choose your major based on your experience.
In what areas do you have aptitude?
Aptitude is more than skill. Aptitude is possessing natural ability. You may quickly deny that you have aptitude in any specific area, but this simply isn’t true.
Every person has a unique skill set. This ability may have been one that has developed over time or one in which you have barely explored. Either way, you have unique abilities. Don’t ignore them!
Your aptitude can help you narrow down your college major options. Majoring in an area in which you can work hard for years and years and still struggle to show average skill is probably unwise. Majoring in an area in which you feel no pressure to improve is probably also unwise.
Your major should be in an area that you enjoy, excel, and feel challenged. Pay attention to the skills you naturally possess.
When it comes time to choose your major, keep in mind that you may change majors. That’s ok. Changing majors may actually be a sign of growth, not a sign of being lost.
You may also feel pressure to identify with your major on a personal level. Don’t. Your major is something you do, not who you are. Your major doesn’t define you. Your character does that.
These three questions aren’t the end all. These other questions can help guide you.
