Considerations When Choosing Your Major
Some people know exactly what they want to do with their lives, while others… not so much. Especially when it comes to your ambitions and what you’d like to study in college.
The subjects that you were once so passionate about may not make so much sense once you enter college. You’d be surprised by how so many people end up realizing how their majors don’t correlate with what they want to pursue in life at all.
Needless to say, the majors that you choose will shape your future to a great extent. At least that’s what most people want (isn’t that the reason you’re going to college in the first place?).
So yeah, this decision does require a deal of deliberation and research. But where do you start?
Here are all the important considerations when choosing your major.
Your Goals & Interests
Walter White lived and breathed chemistry. He may be a fictional character but the guy sure as hell had a love for chemical compounds.
If you’re one of the few people on this planet who already know what they are passionate about, making this decision is likely to be easier for you. The next step in this decision would be to try and picture what kind of life you’d like for yourself.
Say you’ve already established that a regular 9 to 5 isn’t the right deal for you. In this case, it would completely make sense if you wanted to opt for a business degree. In the world of academia, a business degree is the closest degree that will provide you with entrepreneurial skills to successfully open, market and scale your business. Additionally, the business world is evolving so does the related majors. Entrepreneurial programs are making their way among the best business degree programs leaving behind finance and business administration.
Earning Potential
We all have different ideas of success. While success might mean being able to pay rent for your tiny loft without financial burden, it might mean owning multiple rental properties for another. Your major needs to be able to help you fulfil those dreams. Research on the earning potential of your shortlisted majors. It would also help to weigh the potential against your desire to pursue a career that you are passionate about.
Weighing Out the Costs
College can cost you an arm and a leg; perhaps even more. The difference in costs might not seem much initially, compared to your desire to pursue your preferred major, but in the long run, it could mean higher debts and longer work hours that could greatly affect the time, focus and dedication towards your studies. So do make sure you have a solid plan for funding your education without overworking yourself.
Does this mean you should compromise on what majors you choose? Hardly so. It just means you need to plan better. Perhaps you could sacrifice on your preferred college in order to take up your desired subjects or vice versa. Nobody ever claimed to have it all. So decide on factors that are most important to you and base your decisions accordingly and wisely.
Your Personal Track Record
Would it make sense to pursue something you are good at it rather than something you are absolutely amazing at? Fact is, your major would polish your skills to fine tune you to survive in the big bad competitive world out there.
Being equipped with unique and above average skills is what will help you thrive and survive. Consider looking back at your previous records and how you have performed in different subjects before making up your mind.
So these are the top four considerations you should make when choosing your major. Going through these would give you clarity on your preferences. Like I already said, college can be expensive, so might as well do the due diligence now.