How to Choose a Major or a Career
There's no need to panic when deciding on a college major or future career--it's a simple matter of narrowing down or finding ways to combine your interests and talents. Remember that your choice of major may be important in gaining your first job, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend the rest of your life working in that field. It's more important to get the skill set down, and the same goes for your first career.
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Instructions
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Take a self-assessment of your interests. A good way to do this is to make a list of everything you are passionate about. Don't limit yourself to obvious career paths. For instance, if food is on your list, you can think of the web of careers that stem from food, such as being a chef or a food critic or writer. The same could go for movies or reading books.
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Determine your strengths. You may already have a good idea of what your talents are, but also talk to teachers, counselors, family and friends who know you well. They may be able to tell you some things about you that you hadn't considered.
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Consider your best working environments. Whether you prefer a collaborative process or working independently can help you narrow down your options.
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Test drive your top choices with internships, job shadowing or working as an apprentice. While you may be making copies or getting coffee, you will have a chance to observe how the field works, employee stress levels and work hours.
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Take a formal career aptitude test through your high school or college's office of student counseling, if you can't decide on your own. While these assessments are not a substitute for soul searching, they can give you additional insight into your aptitudes and get you thinking about majors and careers you may not have considered.
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Tips & Warnings
If you can't decide on a college major, consider a double major, or a separate minor or two.
References
- Photo Credit young secretary image by Ales Masner from Fotolia.com
