So you are enrolled in college and taking classes, but have you declared a major? If you have, great! If not, you are not alone! It is natural to be a bit apprehensive about choosing a major. Although every student is allowed to change his/her major, there always seems to be a bit of finality in deciding a major. It can definitely be an intimidating experience, but it does not need to be.
Declaring a major is one of those very important steps in your college career and life. A large percentage of students will examine and choose majors that relate to jobs and careers they would like to enter into after graduation. This is closely tied to one's personal interests and skill levels. If you are going to work 40+ hours a week for 30+ years, at the very least, you should have a mild interest in the work you are performing. Your interest will have a direct impact on your overall quality of life. A large percentage of people cite work as one of the few factors that influence happiness. In other words, if they are happy at work, they are more likely to be happy in life, or overall. If they are not happy at work, they are more likely to have a pessimistic outlook on life.
It also makes sense to explore and identify where your strengths and weaknesses are. This does not mean that you need to choose something you excel at over an area that you find harder. It means that you are better off if you are aware of these things. Self-awareness and preparation are the name of the game. For example, if you are writing a research paper, there are several steps that you need to do to complete the assignment. You would need to pick a topic, from there you would go to the library and research the topic by finding and choosing the appropriate sources. From there you would read and take notes. Once done you might gather the notes and form an outline, then start writing the paper. Once done you might proof-read the paper, then add a bibliography, then a title page, and make sure the overall format is correct. Quite a few steps, yes? If you have a certain amount of time to complete the paper, you may make a timeline that allocates a time period to each step. If you are stronger in research and writing the bibliography and formatting the quotes and citations, it may be helpful to know. You still need to write the bibliography and insert the citations, but you may allocate more time to these tasks, if they are not your strengths. Again, self-awareness and preparation are very important when making decisions about your future.
Remember that the decisions you make now will affect your careerpath, and life in general. This process can be fun and exciting, as this is YOUR FUTURE! You are investing heavily in your future as you are preparing by attending college. Take advantage of this time to take a keen interest in deciding your major. As a general rule of thumb, I typically will do more research/diligence/ask more questions/find answers to my questions/think about/reflect as the decision becomes more important or life-changing. The more informed you are about the major that matches you and your interests, the more likely you are to enjoy and be more successful in your career.
There are a lot of resources and people that will aid your quest for knowledge. As you find more information, the decision will likely become more clear, and you will be more confident moving forward.
This is part 1 of Planning a Major, I will move onto the next topic of how declaring a major will impact the rest of your college education in the next post.
JV
No comments:
Post a Comment