Choosing a College Major
Bill Stevenson on Dec 17th 2009
No pressure or anything, but did you realized that the major you declare in college pretty much determines the majority of the rest of your life? With that in mind, it makes good sense to choose a career that you can be really happy with. It should be a good fit for your capabilities, interests and values. Your guidance counselor is there to help you, but following these four steps is a good way to help yourself first:
1. Take a good look at yourself. What kinds of activities hold your interest? Perhaps more important, what bores you? One way to find out such things is to go online and search for personality assessment quizzes such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory.
2. How well do you know the work place? Take what you’ve learned about yourself and brainstorm all possible career paths that could stem from your interests and strengths. Use a phone book or classified section of a major metropolitan newspaper for idea starters. Once you have a list of jobs, do some research and find out what the earning potential for each job is, the level of education required and what the list of responsibilities are.
3. Once you have a list of jobs that appear to match your personal interests and skills, make a pro and con list for each potential job path. If you’re a natural homebody, for example, being an airline pilot might not feel like a natural fit for you, for example. See if you can find people who are actually working in some of the jobs on your list and try to secure some time to talk with them for a little while. Their practical experience will likely answer a lot of your questions.
4. Now that you have a good idea of what you’re interested in, look for a college that is strong in that area. Choosing a school that is reputable in your major will go a long way toward landing you your first job after graduation.
Self reflection is the name of the game when deciding how to spend the rest of your life. Even once you’re well on your way, don’t be afraid to acknowledge when you’ve shifted into a different area. No one said that your interests have to stop evolving once you declare a major. Majors can be changed, slightly or even completely. The most important thing is that you do your best to anticipate what will make you happy down the road.
Bill Stevenson is an educational counselor who assists people in selecting a college or university in which to earn an online degree or certificate.
Filed in career