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Three steps to select a college major

By Catherine Mueller

January 31, 2019

Even when you aren't really sure what you want to do for the rest of your life

Making any kind of decision is tough - whether we are deciding what to have for supper or deciding what we want to do for the rest of our lives.

Unfortunately, we sometimes spend more time on making decisions about supper (partly because we don't want to upset other family members) than we do about our future careers.

The reason isn't that we think our careers are unimportant. Making a career decision, like choosing a college major or choosing a technical field to study, can be overwhelming. To get the decision over with, we just choose something, or maybe we choose something because it sounds cool. Then, we hope it works out.

Rather than just throwing a dart at a career board, there are some steps you can take to figure how the best college major or technical career:

1. Assess your skills - What subjects were your best in school? Have other people complimented you on something you did well? Have you won awards for any activities?
2. Think about your interests - What activities do you look forward to with anticipation? What makes you happy when you think about it? What have you enjoyed so much that you lost track of time while you were doing it?
3. Research possible careers - What careers match your skills and interests? What kind of income can you expect in that career field and can you live on that income? How much education is required and how much will that education cost?

If you can find answers to those questions, you will find a career that matches your skills, makes you happy, and provides a good income. After that, the decision on a college major should be an easy one.