What Do You Want To Do With Your College Major And Degree
- Consider majors related to the field you want to go into
The most obvious thing to consider is what youd like to do after college. If theres a specialized field you want to pursue, or even a specific careerlike social work or engineeringit makes the decision a lot simpler.
As a high school student you dont necessarily need to know exactly what you want to major in., but having a career in mind can guide your search.
Not sure what career youre interested in? No problem you can still narrow down your search for the right college major. ACT offers a free career and major search that matches you to fields based on your personality.
Keep in mind that some professionslike medicine and lawdont have specific majors . Instead, interested students follow a pre-professional track which fulfills certain core requirements.
Picking A College Major: An 8
Whether you’re in college or you just started applying for admission, it’s important to find a major that best aligns with your career interests. Knowing what to consider before declaring a major can help you make the most out of your college investment. In this article, we explain what a major is and when to declare a major, list the factors to consider when selecting a major and provide you with several tips to help you through the decision-making process.
Related:The 23 Top College Majors in Demand
What Is A Major Whats The Difference Between A Major And A Minor
A major is a specific subject area college students specialize in. Typically, between one-third and one-half of the courses youll take in college will be in your major or related to it. Some colleges even let you design your own major!
A minor is a secondary field you can study in while completing your major degree program. Its a specialization that requires fewer courses than a major. Minors are only required for certain degrees.
Read Also: What Majors Does Queens College Offer
Campus Visits In Your College Search
Imagine buying a house. You would inevitably do research online. You might even take virtual tours of the homes that appeal to you. But before you sign on the dotted line, you will need to actually walk through the house yourself. You need to step inside to see if it feels like home. And if it’s worth the investment. Its similar with colleges.
In spite of the depth and breadth of college search tools you have at your disposal, they are no exceptions to visiting campus in person. So, after you have narrowed your college list to a manageable number, its time to think about visiting their campuses.
A successful college visit will give you a real sense of what your life might be like if you enrolled thereand whether it matches what you want. Often, youll know instinctively how you feel about a campus within moments of setting foot on the quad. If you hate it, note the things that really turn you off, so you know what to look for at the next school.
The best time to visit is typically when classes are in session, the college is alive with students, faculty are accessible, and the campus is buzzing with activity. Of course, for many students and their families, summer is a much more convenient time. That’s okay too. Maybe you can make some campus stops on your way to the beach, amusement park, or family reunion. A summer visit is better than no visit at all. Most schools will have special summer visit hours too.
Related content:
The Return On Investment
In todays competitive job market, ROI is critical especially since college is so expensive. Often, you can find data on how many graduates from a particular program find employment within a certain period of time after graduating. You can also find statistics on the earning potential for specific majors. While this shouldnt be the sole determining factor in choosing a major after all, graduates of different majors often go into a variety of careers its certainly something to consider.
Don’t Miss: Who Is Morehouse College Named After
Your Guide To Choosing A College Major
What’s your major? It’s often the first question students ask one another when they meet on campus. Choosing a major in college is one of the most important decisions a student will make during their education journey. Some students know early on what theyd like to major in, and ultimately, launch their career. However, most students are unsure when they enter college just what type of career is best suited for them. If that’s you, don’t feel bad you’re not alone.
Great Sites To Help You Choose Your College Major
Once youve gotten past the daunting process of college applications and youve been accepted, a whole new stressful task emerges. Now you have to choose your major! Often times, students fret about choosing a major because it involved making a huge decision about their future. These 10 resources weve gathered are intended to make the process a little easier, by giving students ample information to make the most informed decision!
College Success Podcast Featuring Kyle Winey of HACKiversity
This episode of the YesCollege Podcast explores several facets of college life and offers tips on how to get ahead. Our guest who helps Scott break this all down is Kyle Winey, author of HACKiversity a book all about achieving more with less effort in college.
What Youll Learn in This Episode:
- The #1 thing that holds most students back from being successful in college.
- How to decide on your educational and career path sooner instead of later.
- What ever student and family should know about making college affordable.
- Kyles key tips for making sure you have a job offer before you ever even graduate college.
We have gathered what we feel are some of the best sites and resources to help students through this tough process of choosing a major. Below are the top ten we found, in no particular order.
Don’t Miss: Is The Apple Student Discount Only For College Students
Astronomy 101 Doesn’t Tell The Whole Story
Introductory courses are not necessarily good indicators of the intensity and intrigue of a field, nor the kind of coursework majors can expect. Astronomy and astrophysics are math and physics-centric majors, but you’d never know it from some Astronomy 101 classes. Make sure your college kid has fully explored the coursework required for the majorwith special attention paid to science, math, and writing requirementsbefore taking the plunge.
What Major Fits Your Personality
- M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
- B.A., History, Armstrong State University
Enterprising people are go-getters. They like to come up with new ideas and start new things. They are very competitive and highly enterprising. They may be very persuasive talkers and they may be overly aggressive when trying to get their way. Persistence often pays off for enterprising people.
Enterprising people like to make money and have nice things. They are often popular, sometimes demanding, and usually motivating. They can argue and debate well.
Possible degree programs:
Artistic people are intuitive and often know what others are up to. They don’t have dozens of friends, but they have a few very close friends. They don’t like to work in very restrictive environments. Instead, they prefer to hear about new ideas and try out new things.
Possible degree programs:
- Journalism
- Graphic design
Artistic personality types are most comfortable in an environment where they have the ability to hibernate and create. Any environment that requires monotonous, repetitive, unvarying activity day after day would be a bad fit for the artistic type.
Additionally, any environment that restricts movement or involves close supervision would be a poor fit.
Social people make great teachers! They are great with people because they are open and friendly, and they care about others. They are cooperative, which makes them good in many programs and careers.
- Psychology
- Archivist
Also Check: What Is The Difference Between Public And Private Colleges
Talk To Jwu About Choosing A Major
Lastly, it’s wise to chat with an academic advisor at Johnson & Wales University, or the academic advisors at your chosen university. These school counselors have real-world experience and can help you determine whether the careers that you are considering will lead to a satisfying future for you overall.
Johnson & Wales University is committed to helping its students find rewarding careers. The university has an excellent track record in helping students connect with employers in their fields of study after graduation. Our programs prepare students with the skills and experience employers are looking for, and that is why 96.8% of them have a successful career outcome within six months of graduating. Our Career Outcomes rate is historically higher than the national average.
Pick An Easy College Major
Its increasingly popular to characterize college as an expensive sheet of paper, but lament that its required for almost all jobs. People who have this view of college often advise picking an easy major and finishing college as quickly and cheaply as possible.This view saddens me, but its not without merit. Only about 62% of students pursuing a bachelors degree finish within 6 years. Students can put a lot of time and money into their college education only to drop out short of that bachelors credential.If you’re only attending college for the credential, then choosing an easy major may be the right choice for you. It can allow you to complete your degree while working full-time or pursuing other facets of life.
Recommended Reading: What Are Good Courses To Take In College
How Does Your College Experience Help You Stand Out
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , over 80% of workers require on-the-job training, with a median training time of 14 days. But learners can gain the same kind of training and experience through previous employment and internships.
Having work or field experience gives students a powerful competitive advantage when seeking employment. To employers, candidates with both a formal education and a relevant professional background stand out, demonstrating commitment to the discipline. Experience can also cut back on the need for future training and its associated costs and challenges.
Survey Failed To Load Properly
The application encountered an issue while initializing. This can be caused by several things. Please check the following:
- Are you on a stable internet connection?
- Does the issue remain after refreshing the page?
- Have you tried clearing the browser cache and then refreshing the page?IMPORTANT : DO NOT clear cache when there are local responses, instead contact support!
- Is your device or browser up-to-date?You can check our officially supported devices and browsers here: supported browsers & devices
- Does your browser use any plugins or extensions? Try disabling them and check whether the application loads after that.
- If the problem keeps occurring, you can contact our support at
- If the problem keeps occurring, please contact our support.
You May Like: How To Get Into College In Europe
How To Change Your College Major
An individual considering changing their major should start by speaking with an academic advisor. These experts can provide helpful information and examine how the change may affect the student’s transfer credits, tuition rate, and graduation date.
Before making any decision, learners should apply the questions on this page to their new major to determine if the change is right for them.
What Major Should I Choose Help Me
I imagine that if you are reading this article, you are feeling some level of uncertainty or anxiety about choosing a college major. This is completely understandable. As parents, teachers, and counselors have no doubt hammered into you, choosing a major in college is an important decision. It’s one of the first big independent decisions of your academic and professional life. In many ways, choosing a major functions as a rite of passage in the process of becoming an adult.
Some people know what to major in in college before they even start high school. However, most people don’t, so if you have no idea how to choose a college major, don’t panic.
With that said, neither I nor anyone else can tell you what major to choose. And if you do let someone else choose for you , you’re likely to be miserable. The truth is that the process of thoughtfully selecting the best major for you takes workwork that you need to put in yourself.
While I can’t do that work for you, I can tell you the foundational principles of investigating and ultimately picking a college major.
Or just major in kitty cuddling and call it a day.
Recommended Reading: Can I Watch College Football On Espn+
What Else To Consider When Choosing A College Major Or Career
-
Salary. While money shouldnt be the only consideration when choosing a career, its a good idea to look into the average salaries for different careers to make sure they are in line with your expectations. Will this major lead to a career with a salary that will enable you to make your student loan payments and reach other financial goals? To get a preview of how your future salary can affect your student loan payments, see 1st Financial Bank USAs Student Loan Repayment and Affordability Calculator.
-
Future Employment Outlook. Does the major or career have a promising future? Check out the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for salary and job outlook statistics. As you will likely see, certain careers are in decline, while others are booming and expected to grow for years to come. Careers with high growth potential include financial managers, nurse practitioners, and market research analysts, just to name a few.
-
Does a career in the major require more than a bachelors degree? Its also helpful to know which careers will require education beyond a bachelors degree. For example, students who graduate with a bachelors degree in psychology may qualify for entry-level jobs in the mental health field but will likely need a masters or doctorate degree to be a social worker or psychologist.
What Is Your Passion
Too often this basic question is ignored in the college planning and college application process. At times, it can seem as though the people around you have a clearer idea of what major you should choose than you do. The esteem with which your family and friends regard you likely pushes them to insist that you would make a great lawyer or a brilliant physician. What they fail to consider, however, is whether or not the position is right for you, and whether you are working toward your college goals by pursuing this major. If you are bent on painting for a living, then by all means obtain a fine arts degree.
Don’t Miss: How To Pay For College With No Money
Does Your Major Even Matter
Lets get something out of the way: in most cases, your major doesnt matter.
At least, it doesnt matter when getting a job. Most companies just care that you have a degree what your degree is in matters less. Indeed, many companies dont even care if you have a college degree at all, particularly as it becomes easier to teach yourself high-value skills online.
So if you dont have a particular career in mind, then the best approach is to pick a major that lets you explore a wide variety of topics while also giving you enough free time for personal projects.
English was great for this, as are most humanities majors. A general business major is also perfect for this, and it has the added bonus of teaching you how business works .
Of course, there are some cases where your major does matter. If youre planning to go to law school or med school, for instance, then some majors tend to better prepare you.
Many pre-med students will choose biology or chemistry, which is a smart way to prepare for med school coursework. In a similar vein, many pre-law students will major in philosophy, history, or English to prepare for the coursework of law school.
Can You Succeed In An Associated Career Field
Generally speaking, the top majors lists are dominated by engineering, nursing, and business related degrees. Several of the top majors are more than just courses of study they’re requirements for certain careers . These careers may be high-paying. But they can also be rigorous or have high burn-out rates. If working on an oil rig doesn’t appeal to you, then Petroleum Engineering probably isn’t a good choice of major.
Recommended Reading: Where Are The Jobs For College Graduates
Benefits Of Choosing Your Major Early
While you can choose your major at any time up until the end of your second year in college without any penalty, there are distinct advantages to choosing your major early in your college career or even before you apply to college. Among these are…
1. Choosing the best school for your major. Some schools have more intensive programs in some majors than others. If you know your major ahead of time, you can apply to schools that are well-regarded in your proposed major.
2. Your college path will be well defined. When you enter college knowing your major, you won’t risk having to go back and take entry-level classes for a new major in your junior and senior years.
3. You’ll graduate on time within your program time frame. Some classes, especially higher-level classes, are only offered once a year or even once every two years. If you switch your major late in your college career, you may have to exceed your time and financial investment in college to be able to pick up those rarer classes.