At first glance, it seems that picking the right major is not a problem at all. There are far more complicated problems students face when applying for a college—making sure that you or your family can afford it financially, for one. Make sure you meet all the prerequisites of your chosen college, and the most challenging part – handing in the admission essay.
You need to make sure that the essay is credible, but you find that you lack the proper words to write it. Of course, you can always order it from this top-notch admission essay service; they’ll match your style – and even add your personal viewpoint. And that’s it, enroll in college, pick a major, dedicate yourself to studies, graduate, and start a successful career.
Schematically, it works like that, and the scheme is pretty simple. And you can easily follow it if you disregard the possibility of changes of interests. You may enter college wanting to become a lawyer but graduate wishing to become a web developer. Time changes quickly, and so do the professions in demand. That’s why you need to pick a major responsibly.
There are several things you need to consider before choosing the major. And if you ask for advice or google articles on how to pick a major, you will get mostly practical tips. Commonly, the aspects of choosing the subject to major in are the following:
- Will it still be around by your graduation?
- Are you going to get employable?
- Is it profitable?
And those questions are going to bug you. No one wants to waste several years of their lives to end up with an inessential profession. While no one knows for sure how things will turn out, the idea is quite terrifying. But you can easily avoid being embarrassed by those questions if you choose a major based on different reasons. And now, let’s dive into some.
Abilities
One of the most pragmatic ways to approach choosing your major is to pick it based on your abilities. Surely, by the time you’re about to enroll in college, you are good at certain things. Education-wise, you should pick a major based on the subject you were good at school. Knowing the areas you are exceptionally skilled at allows you to shorten the list of subjects to choose your major.
But being the most pragmatic doesn’t mean being the surest one. You should not dismiss subjects you’re not skilled at. After all, you learn new skills while studying something. Besides, you may be experienced in something you are losing interest in or have already lost. You may be good at math, but you want to major in something different.
There’s always an option to choose the subject related to the one you are skilled at. Being good at math can help you in computer science. Having three to five units in math is a prerequisite in most web development faculties. If none of the options work for you, you can choose your major based on something else.
Values
There’s always an option to pick your major based on values. A degree based on your beliefs will undoubtedly lead to rewarding jobs. Let’s say you want to clean the oceans, and it gives you a lot of options. You can major in anything from biology to environmental policy. But picking your major based on your pre-college values can be tricky at times.
The problem is that you can’t be sure that your values will stay the same. Sticking to your core beliefs is great, but mostly our values solidify during the college years. Not that there’s a chance that you will graduate thinking that the pollution of oceans is ain’t no big deal, but you may end up thinking that the problem cannot be solved.
Interests
One of the most common motives for picking a major is your interests. Do you enjoy reading and discussing books? Why not major in literature? Do you enjoy Renaissance paintings and architecture? Major in art history! The options you have are limitless.
But, as with values, there is a problem with choosing the major based on your interests. Interests tend to change. You may find your interest shifting from books to films and music, from architecture to web design. Just like with values, your interests solidify while you are at college. And you need to consider that when choosing a major.
While you cannot predict how your interests will change, the volatility is rarely high. It’s unlikely you’ll abandon chemistry in favor of the law, photography in favor of ethnic conflictology, and journalism in favor of pharmacy. So, you can always pick something that allows you to balance between current and prospective interests.
Passions
Another way is to choose your major based on your passion. Interests are great, but passions are always stronger. Your passion combines your interests and values. Lifelong desires and goals are mainly based on passions. When you are passionate about something, you follow your goals no matter what. And that’s the surest way to pick your major.
At first glance, you may think that your passion may change, just like your interests and values, but things don’t work like that. If you are passionate about something from early on, you are going to pursue it till you achieve it. The passion turns into a dream, and we all pursue our dreams.
Picking the major based on your passion allows you to avoid second-guessing. You are at much less of a risk of regretting your choice. All in all, if you pick a major based on your passion, you’ll likely be happy about your degree.
Final Thoughts
You can use pragmatic reasons, like employability and profitability, or pick a major based on one of the four aspects listed above. However, the question remains, what if you choose wrong? It’s not a problem at all, as you can always change your major while studying. And you can always ask your counselor for advice if you feel like you need a switch.