Top 5 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Major
With over 170 undergraduate fields of study at UT to choose from, how can you pick the one that’s right for you? Just scanning over the options on UT’s list of majors can be intimidating. Whether you’re trying to choose your major for the first time, or switch majors, or maybe even switch majors again, have no fear! Here are the top 5 things you should consider before choosing your major.
What are you good at?
We all have skills in some area or another. Maybe you’re good at basketball, cooking, writing poetry, coding, or just planning out your day so that you don’t spend it all napping (I HAVE to do this). Your skills are an easy place to start searching for a suitable major. See if any match up or can be applied to an area of study!
If you need help identifying your skills, ask someone close to you for insight. Sometimes a family member, mentor, or trusted friend can help you identify your strengths objectively!
2. What do you enjoy doing?
Now here’s the part where I tell you to listen to your gut. You don’t have to be the best at something to like it, nor do you necessarily have to like what you’re good at. Enjoying a topic makes learning exponentially easier. Plus, you’ll be more excited and motivated to pursue it.
Try searching for a major in something you’re passionate about. Future job stability might be a deal-breaker, or maybe the mission of the job is far more important to you.
So if you enjoy playing the violin like me on a level so wrong that there are no words to describe it, go try it out!
3. Is there a need for it?
Practically speaking, are jobs available, and are employers hiring for this sort of field? Will the area endure into the foreseeable future? Something to consider is whether you are likely to find a post-college job in your field or a related one.
Sadly, I had to tell one-year-old me that she probably wouldn’t be a professional-grade napper for a living.
4. Do you know what’s out there?
Sometimes there are careers out there that are partially related to your major, but you don’t hear about them often. For example, I didn’t really know that engineering could feed into a career as a patent lawyer!
Maybe there’s something out there that will surprise you (like me discovering the existence of tiny dinosaur piñatas). Try researching some of the fields or careers related to a particular major to see if anything appeals to you!
5. Are you flexible?
Maybe the first one you choose won’t be the one. And maybe the second and third won’t be it either. College is about gaining more exposure and learning new things. You’ll definitely have a few tries to figure out what works for you.
Enjoy the journey to the destination, try new things, and discover more about yourself along the way!