Are You In The Right Major?
The college life is full of decisions to make. As you’re sitting in your student housing near University of Washington Seattle, your major is probably on your mind. This is one of the most important decisions that need to be made in college. Maybe you’re sure that you’re in the right major, but maybe there are some doubts and you need to reassure yourself that you’re taking the right path. These types of decisions will affect not only the rest of your college career, but also the rest of your working career after college. Follow these steps to figure out if you’re in the right major or if you need to make adjustments.
Step 1 – Know What Your True Reasoning Is
The first thing you need to figure out is why you’re in your current major. Are you in it because you truly enjoy the subject matter, or are you doing it because you think you would like it? Are you feeling pressure from friends and/or family to pursue this path?
The answers to these questions will help to clear up your true reasoning for choosing the subject that you’re studying. One of the major factors that should go into your decision is your passion for the subject material. You should enjoy what you study because you will be more prone to dive deeper and learn more about the subject outside of college, and this will help you become more of an expert and excel in the work world.
You might be targeting an industry where you will get paid well. This is ok, as long as you have some interest and passion for the subject. Doing it only for the money and status that comes with it, will lead you down a path towards failure. You don’t want to wake up one day and have regrets for past decisions.
Step 2 - Weigh the Pros and Cons
Once you’re clear on your reasoning for choosing this major, the next step is to weigh the pros and cons of your current major. If you’re not sure this is the right major for you, try to figure out what would be a good fit for you based on your passion and interests.
Make a list of all the reasons you should stay with this major and all the reasons you shouldn’t pursue this major. After you come up with a comprehensive list, mark each reason with a number between 1 and 5 where 1 is a reason that is very important to you and 5 is not so important. Add the numbers up for the pros as well as the cons and you’ll have an idea of where you most important reasons fall. Do the same with a different major that you would be considering. Trust your gut and let the numbers give yourself a better picture of your situation.
Step 3 – Immerse Yourself In The Major
Find the best way to experience the major in real life experiences. This can be interviewing people that hold the position that you would be targeting after graduating with this degree. You could also volunteer to work in a situation where you would be doing the tasks that someone in this major would typically do on a daily basis to see if it’s something you would enjoy. Get as close to the position as you can as early as you can.
If you find out that you truly love it, you will light a fire that will increase your passion and learning for the subject and sill propel you further. If you figure out that you don’t like it so much, then it’s better to figure that out early in process so you can make a switch to a different major and aren’t invested too much into this major.
Step 4 – Evaluate Everything
The final step is to evaluate everything. Look at all three steps as individuals as well as a whole. Look for the red flags that pop out and look for the areas that get you more excited. Above all, listen to your heart and intuition. Clear your mind and let the facts flow to develop a picture of the right decision for your future.
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