The pressure to choose your major and have a post-graduate plan before you even apply to college seems to be much more intense. It’s probably the thing I hear most from juniors and seniors: “How do I choose a major?” “What if I change my mind”? “How do I know now what I want to do in the future?”.
Legitimate questions, all.
I changed my major 6 times during the first 5 quarters of college, 3 times officially, before deciding to major in Communication Studies at the end of my sophomore year. Each time I took a new class, I changed pondered a new major. I had no idea there would be so many interesting subjects and cool classes to take - the choices were so vast compared to the classes I took in high school. And there were so many ways to apply what I learned. I had internships in law offices, PR firms, and radio stations and worked two “career” jobs before I chose my eventual path. Each time, using the experience and knowledge I gained to help me decide.
My story, and countless others, are ones I share with my students as they are figuring out what colleges to apply to and what to major in. After all, how do you know what you don’t know? And without knowing, how do you make decisions about your future?
The answer is, you don’t. You make decisions “for now”!
“For now” takes away the stress of feeling like you should have your entire life mapped out at 17 years old. And the overwhelm of having to choose your future from a huge variety of new and different majors.
“For now”, let’s you combine your current skills, interests and values, make choices and then use what you learn to figure out the next step in your pathway.
Skills - what you’re good at
In high school, I was really good at math and science, which is why I chose to major in Math/Computer Science. But I quickly learned that the depth and breadth of the subject was far beyond what I had ever imagined it could be. This often happens when students make a choice based on broad subjects like math and science or broad career choices like doctor or lawyer. Assessments like 16personalities, or other skills/interest help students see other areas where they excel and other ways to apply those skills. For example, students who enjoy math could apply their skills in a major like data science. There isn’t an industry that doesn’t revolve around data which makes it a great opportunity to apply your skills toward any area you’re interested in.
Interests - what you enjoy
What do you enjoy doing? What things are most interesting to you? That’s a great way to begin exploring what you want to study in college. Think about all the things you enjoy and look all the different majors available at a variety of different colleges. Write down all the ones that sound fun and interesting. And then explore websites to see the types of jobs and careers that match with what your interests are and what things you’re good at.
I loved music and specifically, the radio, since I was young. I remember playing “DJ” and recording intros to songs on my cassette player when I was a kid. Had I applied my own advice, I would have looked for a college with a major in radio broadcasting. And, had I taken into account the “soft skills” I possessed, I probably would have discovered how a career in radio sales and management combined my interests and skills more quickly than I did.
Values - what’s important to you
The first meeting I have with my students is spent identifying their values. Why? Because values are the “why” behind the reason we make the choices we do. It’s the difference between being good at something and choosing to major in it. The difference between being interested in organic chemistry and being a biochemist.
One of the first students I worked with was a gifted artist. But, through a values assessment, I learned that while he was skilled at it, he didn’t want his livelihood to be tied to something he loved. He valued his freedom to create much more highly than making money from his work. Through researching majors, he came upon Art Therapy, a way to integrate his interests with his value of service.
One of the best ways to insure a successful destination is to take time along the journey to see what’s working, how you want to apply that and why it’s important to you, whether it’s planning your future or completing the application process. You don’t have to have it all figured out up front. You just need to know enough about yourself to make a choice, “for now”.