Choosing Your Major
Choosing a major is no easy task, especially with all the pressure you may be under from both your parents and yourself to choose a good one. But what makes a major good? This is mostly an opinion piece based off of my own experience as a serial major flip-flopper who tried out a great many majors before deciding - I hope it helps you make your own decision faster than I did!
There's one big criteria you have to know in choosing a major: passion. You have to care about your major, have to like learning about it. Because if you don't like your major, mess up your GPA and drop out of college, you'd be better off if you hadn't gone to college in the first place. Are you going to be better off with a degree in Business rather than a degree in Performance Art? 95% of the time I'd argue that yes, you would be, at least financially. But a degree in Performance Art is a whole lot better than no degree and a whole lot of student debt left over from dropping out.
That said, if passion is not a factor, at least financially some majors are better than others. Science (any of them), Technology, Engineering, Math - collectively known as the STEM majors - along with business are just some of the biggest fields where the money is to be made. Financial aid, in the form of scholarships, tends to be focused on rewarding this group. But they're only good majors so long as you stick with them and get good grades. On the other hand, History, the Arts (any of them), Language, and Education majors don't make as much money. However, if you care about them and go into them with the knowledge you're not choosing them for the money, they might still be the right majors for you. Sometimes you can go for something you're passionate about and makes more money. So, for example, my sister is very passionate about both women and gender studies and anatomy/physiology. Instead of choosing a major in Women's Studies, which doesn't make as much money, she chose a major in Biology, which makes more money (and has more job opportunities) and she's still passionate about.
There is such a thing as a "bad" major, at least as far as getting a good paying job goes. Likewise, there is such a thing as a "good" major, so far as passion goes. If you think passion won't be a problem for you, try consulting these lists for an idea of what to choose. To be a good major, not only should it lead to a higher paying job, but the field should also be growing at least at an average, if not fast pace. You can check out average salaries and growth rates for different jobs in the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Occupational Outlooks Handbook.
The Lists:
Best Paying Majors Worst Paying Majors Fastest Growing Fields
In addition, the US Census recently released a resource called Pathways After a Bachelor's Degree in Majors. Even if you're not from the States, this can be a great resource for comparing the different outcomes of majors you might choose and how they would likely turn out earnings-wise, along with whether or not you should consider graduate school. I'm a senior in college and I still found this resource to be incredibly useful. I can't say it would have changed my mind at all (I'm a Psychology major, one of the lowest paid), but I would have known what to expect when I chose it.
Double Majors and Minors
Increasingly more students are double majoring. Unless you are coming in with your AA already completed (or a great deal of AP/IB/dual enrollment credits), double majoring can be quite stressful and should be approached with caution. Double majoring is not for every major, either. Some majors honestly just don't go well together. For example, anything science/math related should generally be paired with music/art/drama/etc with extreme caution. Not only is an art major probably not going to set you apart in a good way to science/math employers, but art and related majors are actually some of the hardest, most time-intensive majors you will find on a campus, as are science/math related majors.
However, if you're set on double majoring, or better yet, want to minor, some criteria to choose your double major may be helpful. I, personally, would recommend considering basing it off of the skills that employers in general are looking for or on a major that complements your other major. In my searching for potential careers, I've found several skills that employers request quite consistently. They are computer knowledge, foreign language proficiency, leadership, and business background. Those four skills will help you no matter what field you enter. These are all skills, however, that could be gained just as easily by taking classes rather than all-out minoring or majoring, so that's something you should consider.
Alternatively, you can choose a double major that seems to align well with your previous major. For example, if I wanted to go into behavioral economics I could major in Psychology and Economics. Should I want to become an epidemiologist I could double major in Public Health and Microbiology. There are many of these pairings that contribute particularly well to certain fields. The best way to find out about these pairings, and if a double major is even a good idea for you, is to talk to an academic adviser at the school you're planning on attending. You can generally do these even before you are officially starting school, so check with the school you're interested and see if you can't set up an appointment.
There's one big criteria you have to know in choosing a major: passion. You have to care about your major, have to like learning about it. Because if you don't like your major, mess up your GPA and drop out of college, you'd be better off if you hadn't gone to college in the first place. Are you going to be better off with a degree in Business rather than a degree in Performance Art? 95% of the time I'd argue that yes, you would be, at least financially. But a degree in Performance Art is a whole lot better than no degree and a whole lot of student debt left over from dropping out.
That said, if passion is not a factor, at least financially some majors are better than others. Science (any of them), Technology, Engineering, Math - collectively known as the STEM majors - along with business are just some of the biggest fields where the money is to be made. Financial aid, in the form of scholarships, tends to be focused on rewarding this group. But they're only good majors so long as you stick with them and get good grades. On the other hand, History, the Arts (any of them), Language, and Education majors don't make as much money. However, if you care about them and go into them with the knowledge you're not choosing them for the money, they might still be the right majors for you. Sometimes you can go for something you're passionate about and makes more money. So, for example, my sister is very passionate about both women and gender studies and anatomy/physiology. Instead of choosing a major in Women's Studies, which doesn't make as much money, she chose a major in Biology, which makes more money (and has more job opportunities) and she's still passionate about.
There is such a thing as a "bad" major, at least as far as getting a good paying job goes. Likewise, there is such a thing as a "good" major, so far as passion goes. If you think passion won't be a problem for you, try consulting these lists for an idea of what to choose. To be a good major, not only should it lead to a higher paying job, but the field should also be growing at least at an average, if not fast pace. You can check out average salaries and growth rates for different jobs in the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Occupational Outlooks Handbook.
The Lists:
Best Paying Majors Worst Paying Majors Fastest Growing Fields
In addition, the US Census recently released a resource called Pathways After a Bachelor's Degree in Majors. Even if you're not from the States, this can be a great resource for comparing the different outcomes of majors you might choose and how they would likely turn out earnings-wise, along with whether or not you should consider graduate school. I'm a senior in college and I still found this resource to be incredibly useful. I can't say it would have changed my mind at all (I'm a Psychology major, one of the lowest paid), but I would have known what to expect when I chose it.
Double Majors and Minors
Increasingly more students are double majoring. Unless you are coming in with your AA already completed (or a great deal of AP/IB/dual enrollment credits), double majoring can be quite stressful and should be approached with caution. Double majoring is not for every major, either. Some majors honestly just don't go well together. For example, anything science/math related should generally be paired with music/art/drama/etc with extreme caution. Not only is an art major probably not going to set you apart in a good way to science/math employers, but art and related majors are actually some of the hardest, most time-intensive majors you will find on a campus, as are science/math related majors.
However, if you're set on double majoring, or better yet, want to minor, some criteria to choose your double major may be helpful. I, personally, would recommend considering basing it off of the skills that employers in general are looking for or on a major that complements your other major. In my searching for potential careers, I've found several skills that employers request quite consistently. They are computer knowledge, foreign language proficiency, leadership, and business background. Those four skills will help you no matter what field you enter. These are all skills, however, that could be gained just as easily by taking classes rather than all-out minoring or majoring, so that's something you should consider.
Alternatively, you can choose a double major that seems to align well with your previous major. For example, if I wanted to go into behavioral economics I could major in Psychology and Economics. Should I want to become an epidemiologist I could double major in Public Health and Microbiology. There are many of these pairings that contribute particularly well to certain fields. The best way to find out about these pairings, and if a double major is even a good idea for you, is to talk to an academic adviser at the school you're planning on attending. You can generally do these even before you are officially starting school, so check with the school you're interested and see if you can't set up an appointment.
Further Resources
Again, I couldn't find any website articles on the subject (if you're sensing a theme, that's exactly the reason I made this website in the first place), so instead I've linked to many Wrong Planet threads discussing autism and college which may give you some ideas.
Problems with picking a college major (and sticking with it)
Help on figuring out a major, and if should go to college
do you regret your college major choices?
Finding an Aspie friendly major when you suck at math
Majors for Aspergers (strong at math)
How do I choose a college major?
What should I major in?
Problems with picking a college major (and sticking with it)
Help on figuring out a major, and if should go to college
do you regret your college major choices?
Finding an Aspie friendly major when you suck at math
Majors for Aspergers (strong at math)
How do I choose a college major?
What should I major in?
Give Your Input!
How are you making your decision on a major? Contact Me and share your experience with other readers!
How are you making your decision on a major? Contact Me and share your experience with other readers!
You may not be aware, but I actually plagiarized big time in this article. But considering it's from another website I made, I think the author's okay with it. :) If you want to read the original, unadapted article you can read it here: http://aftergraduation.weebly.com/choosing-a-major.html