Advice for Choosing a Major in College

In considering the “best” college major, or trying to figure out what college major will nail one an “awesome” job, the student is on a road to disappointment. The parent, who is asked to help the child in choosing a major in college, is not doing the child a favor. A lot of thought, effort, and money are spent on the huge college decision, and yet the student is destined for failure before starting school. Too often, the student is not asked the right questions and, in turn, does not give honest answers to some momentous college decisions. Thus, an important life choice begins on the wrong track, and it is difficult to hop on the correct train as the choice builds up steam.

From the time a child is little, there is a constant reevaluation of careers. Fireman, ballerina, veterinarian, actor, singer, and Super Bowl star are all examples of dream ambitions. Very few people see these careers to fruition. Not many youngsters write an essay on being office staff. No matter how fancy the title, the majority of people push paper in some form or fashion. The reality of most jobs does not match college courses.

This article is not for students who absolutely know they wish to be a doctor or lawyer or something equally as precise. Their college path is set, and while long and arduous, school will bring the student joy and a fulfilling career. No, this article is for the student who deep down has no clue what they want to do or be in life. In general, the student knows they do not wish to deliver pizza forever. However, he or she has made the effort in high school to get decent grades, participate in some activities, and generally played the game correctly to pursue a higher education. Now what?

I recommend not declaring a major until you absolutely must. Choose a college with a wide variety of classes and majors and dabble in unknown realms of knowledge. College was originally designed for scholarly study and to produce a well-rounded individual. In our current pursuit of the almighty dollar, college has become another factory producing potentially unhappy workers. Whatever happened to learning for the sake of learning? Now, I realize families have budgets and cannot allow the student to wander in school for years. However, I do believe that if the child is initially given a chance to experiment in classes, he or she will tap into unknown interests and skills, which will lead to a declared major of interest.

Looking back twenty years, I see that very few of my friends from high school actually stuck with their initial majors or are working in a job today in their college field. In talking with them, these students of yesteryear express a regret for not taking a wider range of courses, for not taking a year off, for not studying abroad, and for keeping too narrow a focus on ultimately “getting a job”. The world keeps changing and so does employment. I submit that having a wider range of courses under one’s belt will allow one to recognize more job options and end up in a career one can enjoy.

I did not know what I wanted to pursue in school. My father, with the best of intentions, steered me into business school, which would offer a wide- ranging field of jobs. I respected his opinion and earned a degree in management with a minor in marketing. After a year of working in sales, I started in a night school M.B.A. program and earned that management degree. Care to know my favorite classes? Art history, French, Oil Painting, and English Literature top the list. At the bottom of the list were Finance, Statistics, Insurance, and Economics. Should I have been a business major? No way. I ultimately did purchasing, accounting, inventory, shipping, human resources, and a lot of paper pushing for a small engineering company. It paid the bills. I met a lot of nice, interesting people. And ultimately, I could not stand it anymore and hence this foray into writing.

The lesson I wish to emphasize for parents and students reading this article and exploring college major questions is to not settle. Do not make decisions based on what friends are doing. Do not settle on a college major based on a Wall Street Journal article of highest paying jobs. Do not declare a college major that makes your stomach hurt. College should be a time for fun and freedom, a time to meet new people, a time to explore the world, a time to mature, and a time to build a solid foundation for the grown-up inside the student.