Tip One: Use Electives To Your Advantage

If you are in college already and have no idea what major you want to pursue, you can take a bunch of electives to explore different majors your college offers. Southern Vermont College has a variety of majors that you can choose from. Taking a bunch of electives can help you decided what major you want to declare, if you’re taking an elective and you find that you really like it, talk to your advisor about the major that corresponds with that elective. Believe it or not,  a lot of people go into college undecided.

Tip Two: Pick Something That Really Interests You

What is the point of going to school to get a degree in something you don’t like doing? There is nothing worse than going to work everyday to do a job that you hate, my advice is to pick a major that interests you, or provides you with a lot of options. If you get to college and start taking classes towards your degree and find out it’s not what you thought it was and you don’t like it, you always have the option to switch majors. Switching majors is also very common among college students.

Tip Three: Talk About Your Thought Process With Someone

If you have a couple of different majors you’re trying to decide between, it is helpful to talk to someone about what you’re thinking. Some people talk with their parents about what they are thinking. If your parents went to college then they know that picking a major can be a difficult choice and they might be able to give you some advice. Aside from talking with a parent you could also talk with some friends who are in the same boat as you. If you’re stuck between a couple of majors, not talking it through and just picking one might not be a good idea because you might feel obligated to stick with it even if you don’t really like it.  It is always a good idea to think through what major you want to choose. If you happen to already be in college your advisor is a great source to go to for questions.

Tip Four: Evaluate Your Strengths/Weaknesses

Knowing what you are good at and aren’t good at may be helpful in picking your major. For example, if you don’t like the outdoors and are scared of every insect out there, then maybe being a game warden is not for you; but if you are really good at painting and drawing then maybe art is the right major. Point being, look at what the job you want to do entails and figure out if you are okay with that. If the job requires you doing things you don’t like, then you might want to pick a different major. However, it is also worth noting that in whatever job you choose there will be something you don’t like about it, a lot of people have something they don’t like about their jobs. The major you choose should be something you are interested in and something you can see yourself doing when you get out of college.

Tip Five: Do Research About What You Can Do With The Degree

If you have chosen a major, hopefully you have already looked at jobs that you could pursue after graduation. Different majors offer job opportunities that people might not know about. For example, if you decide to get a degree in nursing, there are more types of nursing jobs than just general nursing. For example, you could be a school nurse, a pediatric nurse, or an oncology nurse. Many majors offer different job opportunities, so doing the research about what job you want might help narrow down what major will benefit you most in getting that job.

Copyright © Monica Frost (2017) All Rights Reserved.