I like to have a plan and know where I am going, which is why choosing a major has caused me so much stress even as a freshman. I have a wide variety of interests and attend a school with over 100 majors, at least 40 of which sound interesting. It's a (major) problem.
A big reason I want to figure out my major is so I can figure out my career. I want to start working towards the rest of my life and a degree in a relevant field seems like the natural first step. But as I looked into career fields associated with specific courses of study, I discovered something interesting. For most people, major really doesn't matter.
My high school English teacher used to say that high school doesn't properly introduce students to all the fields they can study in college. Most high schools lack anthropology courses or classes in college-style applied mathematics. I think the same relationship holds between college and the workplace. There are so many careers out there and many of them don't correspond to a specific major, so students are rarely exposed to them. Careers in fields such as human resources, market research, or management don't have majors or don't care about major because of the transferability of skills learned in other degrees. For these types of fields, they can't require students to have a certain major and they are open to just about any course of study.
Going along with the lack of exposure to many career fields, colleges do not prepare students for the technical skills and knowledge needed to perform many jobs. Earning a degree in journalism is far different being a journalist and even Google does not require their software engineers to have degrees in computer science because they know even CS majors have many skills to learn when it comes to applied programming. What colleges do equip students with are invaluable skills such as written and oral communication, team work, meeting deadlines, analytical ability, and a myriad of other skills that are crucial to a successful career. These skills can be developed in a variety of different majors and what is far more interesting to employers is how passionate a person is about what they studied, regardless of what it was.
I recently met a man who majored in biology with intentions of going to medical school. He now works for Pixar and he believes that his biology degree is what set him apart when applying for a highly competitive job at the animation company. His interviewers were very interested in his pre-med background, which differed from many of the other candidates. He is a classic example that any college degree, regardless of major, opens many doors and it is important to major in what you are passionate about. Though he doesn't directly use the knowledge he learned in his biology degree, the skills he learned are transferrable and help him everyday.
This information hasn't helped me decide on a major, but it has lessened the stress. My major decision and career decision need not be linked. It is more important to choose a major that will develop your passion and spark your interest than lead to a direct career. Though there are some fields such engineering that will require a specific degree, many careers are open to considering people with a variety of academic backgrounds.
