Choosing what we want to do is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make during our lives. Especially at 18 or 19, we are so young and barely know ourselves and having to choose something with life long consequences can be so difficult. Here are some tips and tricks I learned from changing my major....twice...since May.
1. DO Pick Something You Love
One of the biggest things that I have learned in the process of changing my major is learning to pick something I think that I would love. But when going to the big list of majors on any college's website can be absolutely daunting. So what I learned to do, is come up with some jobs that I would love to have and then see what kind of major suits that job. Or if I don't know what job I want, pick a major and see what kind of jobs are marketable with that major.
2. DON'T Be Focused On Salary
It's very tempting when looking at future jobs, to want to pick one that will make six figures. I made this mistake when first applying to college. I wanted to find a way to be super rich. However, that can lead students into choosing a major that makes them absolutely miserable. Choosing a major that makes you happy is so important. You should never put your happiness on the back burner because your eyes were too focused on money.
3. DO Some Research
So you have a major picked out, but that's not where the work ends. Look at what classes this major requires, and what classes you have already taken at this point. See how easy of a transition or not so easy of a transition it would be to switch to this major. It's helpful to know how much of bite you are taking once you officially make the switch. Sometimes switching majors can add on a semester or two.
4. DON'T Wait to Schedule An Advising Appointment
This is a big deal, and your school advisors are here for this exact purpose. You can ask them any questions you want about changing your major and what classes would be best. These are also the people you will have to contact about changing your major and making it official withing the university. Also, depending on when you make the decision to change your major may affect what classes you registered for. Don't wait too long or the classes you need might fill up.
5. DON'T Be Afraid of Extra Work
Sometimes when changing your major, there will be some extra classes you will need to take that might not have been covered by whatever your major was prior to your new one. With that being said, don't count out the idea of taking summer classes. This can lighten your course load during the school year and also keep you on track to graduate within 4 years or so!
