As it does for every college student, the time will come for you to choose your major. And yeah, it\u2019s true, commitment is scary. If you\u2019re a traditional student who just graduated from high school and haven\u2019t experienced the professional world yet, chances are you have no idea what you want to be when you \u201cgrow up.\u201d How could you?
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Well, choosing your major is no easy task — that much is clear. So, to help you out with your decision-making process, we\u2019ve conducted extensive research and spoke with a college expert.
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Here is what you need to know to choose your college major.<\/strong> \u201cPicking a major is not as important as picking the right major, but the timing of that is important,\u201d said Rachelle Germana<\/a>, Interim Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stony Brook University. At most colleges, exploring different majors is expected and encouraged. However, to stay on track for graduation, you should have officially declared your final major before the end of your second year, according to Germana. Specifically, exploring students who wish to graduate in four years should aim to have a major in mind by the end of their freshman year. And by the end of their sophomore year, they should try to commit, Germana continued. *It is noteworthy, however, that some specific fields and programs, such as nursing, may require students to commit early. So, make sure you ask your academic advisor(s) about deadlines for potential majors. Before choosing a major, it is important to consider your post-graduation plans. By this, I don\u2019t mean you have to pick out a specific company you want to work for or a city you want to live in. Instead, you should consider what type of major will prepare you for a career that will make you happy, proud, and excited. \u201cStudents who are successful, they have not just interest, but they feel purpose related to their major,\u201d said Germana. \u201cThe more that students feel purpose related to their major, the more likely they are to be successful, and the more likely they are to graduate on time.\u201d This isn\u2019t to say you need to be rescuing puppies or operating on patients to feel a sense of purpose related to your major or career path. Purpose and passion are found from within. If you truly believe what you\u2019re doing is beneficial, important, and worthwhile, that\u2019s all that really matters. The old saying, \u201cyou can do anything you put your mind to,\u201d is often true. But, depending on your personal strengths and weaknesses, some majors and careers are going to require a lot more work than others. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate your skill set and career aspirations before choosing a major. Students should think about what their expectations are and ask themselves, \u201cdo my expectations meet reality?\u201d Germana said. For example, if a student wants to become a forensic scientist, \u201chas that student historically performed well in math, chemistry, and physics?\u201d she added. If the answer is no, they could still pursue it, but they will likely have to work harder, Germana said. \u201cThey might want to think about that. If that\u2019s not where their strengths are, do they want to still pursue it? The answer is different for every student.\u201d Decades ago, it was common for individuals to work the same job until they eventually decided to retire. But today, that\u2019s seldom the case. \u201cFolks are moving around jobs more than ever before — more than our parents\u2019 and grandparents\u2019 generations,\u201d said Germana. Therefore, in terms of employability, emotional intelligence<\/a> and soft skills, such as collaboration and communication, are becoming increasingly important to develop. So, when choosing a major, you should absolutely consider which skills you are going to gain, said Germana, especially if you have intentions of exploring different careers. Let\u2019s be real. If you\u2019re a traditional 18-or 19-year-old college freshman, you likely don\u2019t have the professional or academic experience needed to make an informed decision on which career field you want to enter. You may be interested in marketing, for example, but without work experience, it\u2019s hard to assume you\u2019ll enjoy the day-to-day tasks of working at, say, a marketing firm. For decades, internships have been widely recognized as a great way for students to \u201ctrial-run\u201d a career and gain experience. But, they can be hard to get, especially early on in college — around the time when you have to declare your major. Therefore, Germana suggests reaching out to your college\u2019s career center, professors, and other faculty members for assistance. Say you\u2019ve expressed an interest in studying history, but you don\u2019t know what your employment perspectives would look like after graduation. Well, there is a lot more that you can do with a history degree than become a history teacher, for example, and your college\u2019s career center is there to inform you of all of your employment possibilities and help you develop \u201cforward-thinking goals,\u201d according to Germana. And if you aspire to become a lawyer, for example, but want to study history in college, your academic advisors can help you stay on track to graduate with the grades, coursework, and test scores you need to be accepted to law school. Now it may seem like a no-brainer, but students often forget to discuss their majors and career aspirations with the very people who could likely give them the best advice — professors and other faculty members on campus. Most often, professors don\u2019t start their careers teaching. Many of them have real-world experience within their field. Your business professor, for example, may also be an active entrepreneur, Germana suggested. And your journalism professor may also have a weekly column published in the local newspaper. So, if you\u2019re curious about a major or career field, don\u2019t hesitate to ask your professors and other faculty members! As mentioned above, internships are, quite possibly, the best way to gain professional experience and trial-run a career field. But, as a traditional freshman or sophomore, internships aren\u2019t always easy to get, because you have juniors and seniors to compete against, who are often more qualified. So, Germana recommends seeking professional experience available on campus. Many colleges and universities offer on-campus employment and mentorship opportunities through their career center. At Stony Brook, for example, there are students involved in the marketing aspects of undergraduate education that are helping with promotion, Germana said. For a marketing major, working part-time as a marketer for the university would be tremendous work experience. And, ultimately, it could help students decide if marketing is something they want to professionally pursue. Additionally, to gain professional experience, students can seek volunteer opportunities available on campus or in their community. A volunteer opportunity assisting marine biologists, for example, likely won\u2019t show you the day-to-day tasks of the job. However, it will help you gauge the overall theme of the field and the personalities of the professionals. According to Germana, experiences are the best tool for identifying your interests and strengths. Without them, there is no way to understand the full scope of your curiosities and abilities. It\u2019s extremely common for students to switch majors. In fact, nearly a third<\/a> of college students will change their major at least once within three years. And as long as students switch before the end of their second year, they will likely stay on track to graduate in four years, according to Germana. But \u201cstudents should approach switching a major from a place of empowerment, not failure,\u201d said Germana. \u201cIt\u2019s really more about the growth mindset. There is empowerment in identifying something that is not working out for you and then making an adjustment.\u201d In recent years, more and more students have chosen majors, such as engineering and computer science, that are directly connected to careers. And fewer students<\/a> are pursuing liberal arts degrees, presumably, because they believe<\/a> such degrees won\u2019t expand their employment opportunities or help them land well-paying jobs. But that\u2019s not necessarily true. \u201cThe liberal arts are absolutely valuable to career and employability. They just aren\u2019t directly connected. And that is OKAY,\u201d Marianna Savoca<\/a>, Assistant Vice President for Career Development and Experiential Education at Stony Brook University, told TUN for a previously published article<\/a>. Take an English major, for example. \u201cThere are so many employers in every single industry who could use people who understand how to read and analyze something written and then how to communicate,\u201d Savoca said. So, students need to understand that their college major does not define or box in their career options or which jobs they can apply to. Instead, students should view their major as a tool to help them gain skills and knowledge that can apply to many career paths, Savoca suggested. If you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed, sit back and take a deep breath. Choosing your major can, and should, be an exciting and liberating time. By choosing a major, you\u2019re setting yourself up to expand your knowledge and employability within a certain field. You aren\u2019t determining the rest of your professional life.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Make a decision before finishing your sophomore year <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Find a major in which you feel purpose<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Evaluate your skill set <\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Consider the skills you\u2019ll learn<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Get help from professionals <\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Seek professional experience <\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. Don\u2019t be afraid to switch majors<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n8. Don\u2019t assume your career options are limited to your major<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn conclusion, take a deep breath<\/strong>
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