Be Happy With Your Major

Coming into college, I had decided what my major would be: Journalism (in case you want to know). My decision was made years earlier. When declaring my major, I was at peace and nothing would alter my choice. I rejoice when adding Journalism classes to my schedule; and not surprisingly, enjoy those classes the most.

Students, take pride in your majors. You have to live with them for the rest of your life; so be happy about it.

In choosing a major, make sure you’ll be content and not sway in the future. Students choose majors for the wrong reasons. Among the motives: a major will get them the best job, their parents want them to pursue a career they don’t want, or most of their friends take the major. If any of these reasons influence the decision, you’re trying to please others. One student told me he chose Finance due to fear of the bad economy. He was previously in International Relations, but felt there wouldn’t be many opportunities in this field. He now regrets the switch, and doesn’t want to pursue Finance after graduation. That’s a college career worst-spent. Don’t put yourself in this predicament. Every time someone talks about the economy, I brush it off. I ignore when someone says “there will be more jobs in this or that field”. How I look at it: there are jobs for everyone. You need confidence that you’ll find a preferred job.

Choosing a major should be easy. If anything, it should be hard due to several possibilities of what you want to do. Besides happiness, the decision comes down to strengths. Have a sense of what you do well and capitalize on it. If you’re good with math and science, pursue engineering. If you like to write, choose journalism. College will be easier for students if they choose majors that correspond with their hobbies/interests. Choose majors that present the best opportunity to succeed. For example, don’t choose Accounting if you don’t like math. Yeah, the field sounds intriguing; but don’t chance making life miserable.

It annoys me to hear students complain when they have exams in their major. If you chose to pursue the field, take the test. Preparing for tests will only help because it allows you to spend time reading material you’ll use in the future. Don’t expect to be successful in a field without preparation.

Another good way to determine if you’ll be content: examine whether you’ll be happy working in the field years later. If not, that’s an indicator of how happy you’ll be in college.

Students, feel good about your major. Brag about it to others. If someone says something negative, don’t worry. All that matters is whether you’re happy.