When looking to pursue a career, choosing the right major will help you work in the desired field. Some pick a major based on what they love, while others are based on career opportunities. Even if you love doing something in particular, that doesn’t mean you’ll have lots of employment opportunities. So that’s why we’re here to help you chose a college major that you won’t regret. To do that, here are our 5 tips.
Make the Decision Based On Potential
What we mean by this is choosing a major that lands you in a position that has lots of potentials to grow. These jobs are usually in high demand, making them perfect for pursuing a career. What you’re hoping to achieve one day is landing a well-paid position in a company or even launch one of your own.
By getting a quality education, you’ll easily advance your career. What good is the education if there is no potential to advance at all? So the very first thing you should always look at is what’s the future potential of pursuing this particular major.
Make the Decision Based On Demand
Very similarly to the previous point, high-demand positions are better paid and easier to land. You might aspire to be an award-winning novelist, but there is never a demand for book writers. On the other side, there will always be a need for doctors, teachers, and developers. You might not particularly enjoy working as one of these, but there will always be a demand for your field and expertise. That puts you in an advantageous position.
For starters, you might not aspire to be the best developer, but there will always be work for you. If your dream is to be a novelist and one day have your own bestseller, then you absolutely have to work hard to achieve your goals. Nothing says that you won’t thrive in such an environment, but not everyone gets to write the next New York Times Bestseller.
Make the Decision Based On Versatility
Many college majors allow students to undertake a very specific career path. Others are more versatile, meaning they allow students to branch out if need to. And that’s exactly what you should be doing. Taking niche college majors will only put you in a disadvantageous position if you’re looking at a career change. Since a major with very limited options gives you no space for movement, you’re effectively stuck there until you develop new hard and soft skills to work in a different field.
A business major, for example, gives you the highest versatility possible. You could take economics, management, finance, ethics and communications, marketing, and more. Liberal arts and humanities, on the other hand, is not only one of the worst college majors by median earnings and unemployment rate, but also a major that limits you in terms of career options.
Make the Decision Based On Career Interests
While it’s important to look at the stats, not everyone will specialize to become a doctor or a business major. Some students have particular interests that they believe can turn into a career. And that is ultimately the goal of every student. While not everyone manages to do that, you should definitely do something that interests you. If you feel that becoming an IT expert will give you lots of career options and the potential to grow, that doesn’t mean coding or maintaining servers interests you.
Make the Decision Early
Some students explore majors quite early – even before they go to college. The reason why doing this is smart is that it gives you plenty of room to maneuver. This means you can take specific courses and classes that will ultimately lead you down a road to specialize in a particular major. We all know that many students struggle with what they want to do in their early days. Thus, you should make an effort and determine what interests you.
To do that, you can interview adults in careers that catch your eye, read books and articles about it, go to lectures and specific college events, and more. This will help you figure out if it’s worth pursuing your interest. Even if liberal arts is your thing, you” have a better feel for the industry before committing.