Sunday, October 23, 2011

Choosing a Major

Some of you may be at that point in your college careers where you have already chosen a major, while some of you may not. Regardless, we often feel pressure to select a major that will determine the rest of our lives. Okay, I am being a little dramatic, but only a little. As an undergraduate, my advisers tended to emphasize my major as directly tangible to my future career prospects (this really isn't the case). The Study Hacks blog, who I have cited several times before, provides an intriguing approach to deciding on a major. You can check out the post here: http://calnewport.com/blog/2011/10/12/dont-go-pre-med-my-advice-to-a-yale-student-worried-about-her-future/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+StudyHacks+%28Study+Hacks%29

Questions to consider:
1. What do you think of Study Hacks approach to selecting a major?
2. I know I said a major isn't determinate, but it very well may be for some majors. What do you think? Does your major determine your future career prospects?
3. For those of you who have selected a major, what has been your experience in doing so? What do you recommend to your fellow classmates who are currently or about to go through this process?
4. Why the huge emphasis on major after all?

11 comments:

  1. I think that study hacks rely on self ambition rather than financial gain and stability for a career/major choice. Selecting the right major is the key to opening the door of the field you want to be involved with. I am a logistics and supply chain management major, working for a natural gas company. My major plays heavily in efficient productivity of my crew, logistically coordinating when are where to drill along with the supply chain aspect of materials and labor. Personally I believe you should just go with something your good at and have connections in the industry with. Some say it's not what but who you know, in my field it's both. I think the huge emphasis in majors lies in the title, people who want to be a personal trainer may need to be a kinesiologist or a aspiring actor may need formal training and certification to show others they have met the criteria.

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  2. I think that Study Hacks approach is a a really good and "real" approach, but at the same time its not that easy especially for someone like me where i am good at ALOT of things and therefore there is not pure, defined line on what i am specifically good at. I think that some majors are a determinant, and my major does determine my future career proposals. In selecting my major i have found it to be very hard, and i am still second guessing if its what i want to do with my life. Like i said above i am good at a lot of things, and a lot of things interest me, but its finding the right major that will interest me for the rest of my life. So selecting a major in my opinion is not as easy to me as it may be for others, who it seems to come natural to them. I recommend for fellow students that are about to go through this process to take their time, and then once they think they found what they want to do, then start doing activities or jobs that relate to that field to see if its really what they want to do.
    I think there is a huge emphasis on major, because in a way that determines your life, and who you are, and what you become.

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  3. I lol'd at this title "Don't Go Pre-Med" because, well, I am pre med. The article makes a good point though; there should not be the tremendous pressure on choosing a major. I began my career as a music major, but was very upset with the program and decided to go my back up route of business/pre med. As I have gotten into the pre med program here and built relationships with other people in my field I noticed that there are different levels of medical commitment. Some people just take the classes and do well. Others just talk about how much they will make as a doctor. Some will volunteer at a hospital and try to be a doctor already, only to do poorly in their classes. Although the main goal of being a doctor is common, the reasoning behind the goal is what really sets us apart from each other. It is easy to tell who is truly passionate and who is just in it for the money/power/security/prestige/title/etc. I think the same sort of mentality should be found in every major because there are always going to be people that are in the wrong place that quickly chose a field because they were stressed. My advice: take some time with it and really find something that interests you. If you cant find a major for it, then get something related and go make your own job!

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  4. I think the approach is very appropriate. Many people assume that they HAVE TO KNOW what it is they want to major in the second they enter college. However, this is just not true. I know some students who have already changed their majors one or two times. Based on my personal experiences, I've noticed that I tend to like something more if I do not feel like I am locked into it for life. It also helps for me to remember that my dad has a degree in microbiology. And what did he do with his career? Worked for the postal service, of course. That is actual proof that a major/degree does not fully support whatever path a person is going to end up taking in life.

    Currently, I am a Radio/Television/Film (RTVF) major. However, I do not like labeling myself as this, because I do not know if this is the field I will pursue later. When people ask me what my major is, I tell them, "RTVF, but, of course, that may change." I found out that if people (mostly older adults) ask me what my major is, and I say, "Oh, it is undecided," they give me a slight look of annoyance, urgency, and contempt all rolled into one. It is ridiculous, though, because people who are 20 years old are probably not going to know what it is they end up doing by the time they are forty.

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  5. when choosing your major you have to consider what you want out of life. do you want to make a lot of money or do you want to pick a career you love or both. once you find the answer to this choosing a career should be relatively easy. now being a freshman in college you don't have to choose right now what you want to be. just be conscious that it goes by fast and always be thinking about your future.

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  6. I like this strategy and it's almost how I went about picking a major, but not quite. I wish I had done it more like this. I did as they suggested, taking basics and not trying to decide the first year, but I put off picking a solid major until it was absolutely necessary. I definitely felt a lot of pressure to pick a major, especially after finishing my associates in general studies (the basics) at my community college. I was now at a full blown university and had to pick some sort of focus a lot faster than I liked. I chose based on which classes I had enjoyed most up until that point in time and that I felt like I did well in. I am happy with my choice and feel like I have lots of options after I finish my degree, career-wise.

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  7. first thing in appraoching what major you want is finding what category of working most interests you. once you find that you explore int that field for years and soon you will find what you enjoy most.

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  8. This article strengthens my confidence that I am choosing the right major. As they said, if you have sampled something and find it interesting, pursue it and become proficient in it. To say that a chosen major is irrevelant to someone's career path is somewhat misleading. Certain degrees or majors have much higher post-graduation job placement rates. So while it may sound great to simply follow your passions through what you choose to study, you should consider what limitaions you are assigning yourself. Personally, I think if you take out student loans to attend college, you should consider that you will have to start repaying these upon graduation. Statistics show that an accounting degree will fetch somewhere in the ballpark of 55K starting out in public accounting, versus an education or history degree which might bring in 38-45K at a teaching job. While these are just ballpark figures, and money is not everyone's top priority, its worth considering which situation you would rather find yourself in after graduating.

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  9. Study Hacks' approach is something that I have had to remember for my college career so far. It is true that if you have any uncertainty of whether you like your prospective major, then don't do it. It's as simple as that. Majors are not something that determine your entire future - many occupations stem from each major. I am an RTVF pre-major, and I am constantly reminded about how uncertain my field is. However, I can't see myself doing anything other than this. I would recommend my classmates to do what I did - think about all of your prospective majors, and the one that keeps coming up in your mind no matter what is the one that you should probably choose. A major isn't important in deciding your future, however, it is most important in guiding it.

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  10. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
    ― Confucius

    This is one of my favorite quotes and I think this post only solidifies that claim. The Study Hacks approach is a good one because it recommends you use your freshmen year to hopefully find that thing you love doing. Majors are often very determinate of your future possibilities. You won't see a business major going into med school.
    The emphasis on major is very stressed because it can be easy to just go through the motions in school and not really think about what you want to be. In my opinion, school's require a major declaration at a certain time to help keep you on track, or to help you find the "track" you're meant to be on.

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  11. I love this article.Chosing a major has been a great struggle in my life. I have been battling with following my heart and pursuing the arts (music) and appeasing my family and chosing a more "stable" career. As I grow I am beginning to see that you can't really go wrong with any major because at the end of the day I'll have a degree. I will be officially "educated". This article confirmed my thoughts when it stated that there were no wrong majors but however wrong reasons for pursuing those majors. The writing are on the wall for me, I just need to muster up the courage to follow their direction

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