Let’s be real: there’s not going to be some floating angel in the sky that will say “Yes, child, your major is the right one!” A bunch of clouds aren’t going to float into a thumbs up the day you declare and if any of those things happen then I think you might be on LSD–how are you reading this!?
This advice may not apply to everyone, but it is sure to make you think and maybe make you feel more confident in your decision or send you on a path to choose a new major. Anyways, here are a few signs that you chose the right major in case you have your doubts.
1. It involves your hobbies somehow.
Example: My major is Journalism and minor is Graphic Design. Some of my hobbies are blogging, reading and DIY projects. All closely tied together! That’s a very black and white kind of case, however, not everyone’s hobbies are directly tied to his or her major. Try to think in very simple terms and look for small connections between your hobbies and your major.
If your major is Education and you like to spend time with your little cousins or being a camp counselor, your major is probably the right one. If your major is Computer Science and you absolutely love computers and learning new hacks, your major is probably right. However, if your major is Accounting but notice you spend all of your free time making mock music videos, writing album reviews and discovering new music, you might want to rethink.
2. You’re not in it just for the money.
This is an exception for those who know their major isn’t their dream, but know that wealth is. If you want wealth and do not care about having a job you’re entirely happy with, then so be it. If you chose your major because “there’s a lot of money in *insert field*, it most likely isn’t the right major. Do not become an engineer because you think you’ll make a lot of money. Do not decide to become a doctor because you think it’ll be easy to get a well-paying job. No matter what you choose, the road will be difficult, at least choose something you genuinely enjoy.
Clearly I did not choose Journalism for the money, but my idea that journalists didn’t make much money almost made me not choose my major. I almost ruined a chunk of my life because I thought I would get more money as something else–job happiness means much more than cash to me. All of these, of course, do not matter if financial security and wealth take priority over happiness in your job, in which case, disregard my advice.
3. You’ve had doubts, but you fight them.
It’s absolutely normal to have doubts about your major–I think most people who haven’t dreamed of being a specific job since they were five have had their doubts. The true test is what you do with these doubts. Do you agree with them? If so, maybe it’s time to question your major. If you have an internal argument against your doubts, it means you’re fighting for your major. People fight for things they love, right? This might not be an entirely accurate way to decide, but I think it’s a great idea.
When I was convinced I wanted to be an Education major I had an internal debate once that consisted of “You don’t want to be responsible for that many kids!” “No-I…Wait, no, I don’t.” “You don’t want to be a teacher” “No…I don’t really want to.” With Journalism my internal argument was, “It’ll be hard to make money!” “It’ll be hard with any job!” “What if you hate it?” “You LOVE writing! You’ve always loved writing.” See the difference? I was fighting for Journalism, I wasn’t for Education.
4. It’s not absolutely out of the blue.
One of my close friends who is an amazing poet and writer suddenly declared she would be a Psychology major and attend med school. While she is very smart and great at Psych, we were all really surprised. Needless to say, after one miserable semester of science, she switched her major to English and decided to learn ASL. She’s much happier than she was when she was swamped with science classes. She laughs about the idea of med school, now.
If your major is something that your friends, family and even yourself are entirely shocked at, you might want to rethink it. It’s like when your family and friends hate the guy you’re dating–there’s most likely a huge reason why. Of course, you might have a major that’s quite out of the blue and it could be good, but if it’s something that you basically pulled out of a hat you might want to think long and hard about why you chose it. Also make sure it isn’t part of a phase. My brief period when I wanted to be an Interior Designer was also the period where I watched HGTV and home remodeling shows all of the time. It was definitely a phase.
5. You’re aware of the cons and accept them.
If you know the potential cons of the field you want to go in to and are still in the field, you’re probably on the right track (or confused). Accepting the negatives is a true sign that you are committed to something and know what you are getting yourself into. Meanwhile, if you don’t even know the potential cons or are pretending they don’t exist in your idealized world, you might be in denial about your major and you should consider looking into it or looking into new ones.
6. You try hard in your major related courses.
If you don’t have straight As in your classes related to your major, it’s perfectly okay. If you don’t care about classes in your major and find that you don’t even try, that’s not a good sign. By not giving your relevant major-related courses your time and effort, it might foreshadow your future career. I know that a lot of major related courses can be boring, seemingly useless and crappy, but if you push through and try to get as much as you can out of the class, it shows serious dedication and passion for your major’s material!
7. You (or others) can picture yourself happily doing a job in that field.
Imagination and reality need to mix for this one. I have some friends who are Education majors and I can so easily see them being a teacher because they’re even-tempered and great with people. I have friends who are Computer Science majors and I can’t picture them being anything else. I can picture myself as a writer for a magazine and so can my friends and family. If you’re not sure, ask your friends and family what careers they could picture you doing. Again, this might not be entirely accurate, but it could definitely be a bad sign if none of your friends or family can even remotely see you being a teacher. Also note the key word “happily.” Can you or others see you HAPPILY doing the job? If you could see yourself being a great accountant but you think you’d be unhappy in a work environment that isn’t very social or creative, it might be time to rethink your major.
8. You’re passionate about it.
Without passion, what’s the point of anything? If you don’t have any passion for your field or any desire to improve in the field, then it might not be what’s meant for you. If you have little or no desire to be the best you can be at your major, then why is it your major? Take a long, hard look.
9. You wouldn’t mind making a career out of it.
While everyone wants a career doing something they love, a lot of us tend to resent when hobbies become work. IE: Say you loved making charms but then you decided to sell them on Etsy and take orders. Now it’s work and now you dread doing it. If you’re someone like that, be weary of choosing your major. If you absolutely love Graphic Design but every time you’ve been commissioned by a friend to make something you resented it, you might want to look into other majors and consider keeping Graphic Design as a hobby.
For me, I would love to make Journalism a career. Writing AND getting paid sounds like a dream! This tip mostly applies to creative majors, not so much Science/Math sorts of ones. Everyone hates when hobbies become work, but in some cases it can be great. Think about what you want.
10. You’re ready to commit to what the major entails.
If you are a Fashion major, you are ready to commit to finding a bunch of internships. If you’re en route to be a doctor, you are prepared to commit to med school and the money it entails. Political Science Major? You know you’re going to take the Bar exam and go to law school. Education major? You are aware you must be a student teacher down the road and you can’t wait. Magazine Writing major? You absolutely know you’re going to intern a lot and your job might consume you if you’re not cancel.
Get what I mean? You’re prepared to commit to the extra schooling and internships that this major will entail. If you know now that you would never want to go through med school and your anxiety could not handle, it might be time to rethink your major or start to quell your anxiety. It’s all in your gut and it’s all about being honest with yourself.
Take all of this with a grain of salt! I hope you find which major was right for you, but it will most likely take a few switches to get it right. My major went from Interior Design to Graphic Design to Education to Advertising to Journalism. Now that I’ve found my major, I wish I had stuck to my gut and chosen Journalism all along.
How was your journey to find your major and what is your current one?
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