Understanding your Majors

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} One of thebiggest mistakes any student makes is going to college without having a clearidea of what they want to do. A lot of students just “drift” into a collegemajor either because their friends are doing it or they can’t think of anythingbetter to do. It should hardly come as a surprise then that a whopping 50-70%college students change their major at least once.   Agreed thatit’s hard for an 18-year-old to know exactly which career path to follow, butgiven that you spend two to four long years in college and a considerableamount of your parent’s hard earned money, it is important to put some thoughtinto choosing an academic major.   Some of themost important questions you need to ask yourself when you have to select yourundergraduate or graduate degrees are:   Am I interested in this major?   Picking up amajor you’re interested in is important because not only do you have to investa considerable amount of time and effort studying it in college, but it willalso decide the course of your career. You’re likely to shine in your academicas well as professional life if you choose a major that excites you. If helpingothers is what drives you, if you love the thrill of working in a healthcareenvironment and delivering critical care to patients in emergency situations,then you might do well pursing healthcare degrees like nursing, healthcareadministration, or the emerging field of medical specialties.   Action: Draw up a list of careers you areinterested in and then choose the majors that focus on these fields. Use theelimination method to shortlist the ones that you feel strongly about and lookfor reputable universities that offer these majors.   Do I have the aptitude for it?   Whichevermajor you decide to pursue, evaluating your aptitude is the first step towardsachieving success in it. Every field has certain requirements that you need tofit if you are to do well. For example, if you want to pursue a businessadministration degree, you not only need to exhibit excellent communicationskills and leadership quality, but you should also be good at datainterpretation, analytical thinking, etc.   Similarly, anyone pursuing an information technology degree should begood at math and logical ability.   Action: Take an appointment with a careercounselor who can give you an aptitude test. Many universities these days offercareer planning to help students choose the right major.   What is the return on investment?   Such is thereality of post-recession life that we look at education as an investment andwant maximum returns on it. College degrees, especially business degrees , have a very high tuitionfee. If you’re investing money in a program that can potentially burn a hugehole in your pocket, it makes sense to ensure that you can earn the money backonce you graduate with that degree.   Action: Check the earning potential of thecollege degree programs you have short listed. You can use resources like thewebsites of Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Education to getsalary information of various professions.   What are the job prospects?   Once youhave figured out the majors you are interested in, it is a good idea to checkthe job prospects of these fields. Many fields like accounting, nursing, andbusiness administration, have a high demand. So, those who have a healthcareand business degree enjoy excellent employment opportunities after graduation.   Action: Talk to some alumni who graduatedwith those majors or interview professionals in the field to get a perspectiveon employment opportunities in those fields. You can also check collegeplacement records to get an idea of the hiring trends in your chosen industry.     Once youhave all this information, the job of picking a major should become easier.College is one of the most exciting phases of life and you’ll be able to getthe best out of it if you know where you’re going with it once you walk out ofthe classroom!

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