How did you finally decide what to major in?

[SuperBowlNachos]

So I am finally going off to a real university after 2 years of community college, but I still don't have a definite idea of what I want to major in. I have done nothing but basics so I have no classes toward a specific major. I need to decide very soon so I can register for classes. I am jumping between computer information systems and psychology, I know two different ends of the spectrum.

Any suggestions?

[HealyMonster]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

So I am finally going off to a real university after 2 years of community college, but I still don't have a definite idea of what I want to major in. I have done nothing but basics so I have no classes toward a specific major. I need to decide very soon so I can register for classes. I am jumping between computer information systems and psychology, I know two different ends of the spectrum.

Any suggestions?

How did you go to school for 2 years but only take basics, like did you only take 2 classes a semester or something? I would go with what you know more about and also look not only into what it takes to get a degree, but also to get a job after college. I say that meaning, you might like the idea of studying psychology, but then the steps needed to get a job in the field might not be your cup of tea. same goes for a CS Degree. Think of both majors as carees instead of majors and you might find yourself leaning one way or another when thinking long term.

[Brankles]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

1) Employment possibilities - Don't get a major like Communications or Physical Education, unless you really, REALLY want to do something in that. Computer information systems is a great degree as far as employment goes, and is something that is growing and needed. An undergrad in Psychology is not. And avoid a Business degree, because it seems like everyone in the world has one. Find something that can get you a job and isn't over-saturated.

2) Grad-school possibilities - this is where you'll be looking at English, Pre-Law, Poly-Sci, Biology etc. as an undergrad that will get you prepared for grad school and have more schools interested in you when you apply. Psychology, like the aforementioned majors, is one of those degrees that is basically worthless as an undergrad, but good for grad school.

3) Play your strengths - Don't do Journalism if you hate writing. Don't do Psychology if you hate science. Don't do C.I.S. if you hate being on a computer. Find what you're more inclined to be good at and lead yourself down that path. One idea is to take one of those job aptitude tests and see what pops up, some of those careers may be interesting for you if you're not sure.

4) Enjoyment - Very few people truly love their job. Most do it for a paycheck. But at the same time, you don't want to hate what you do and you want to find some enjoyment out of it. Look for people that enjoy doing what they do and find out why they like doing it.



Too many people go through school, get worthless majors, stop their education and get stuck in crappy situations. It's important you keep moving, keep advancing your education and employment opportunities, and not think in the present too much. A lot of life is making the best out of your situation and college is the place where you can make your situation better. Don't waste it and always remember your priorities.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

Was a biology major b/c I wanted to go to med school (FYI: any major can get you to med school if you take the required classes)

and my fall back options were to do lab research (did for 3 years) or teach biology (currently doing).

[slickdtc]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I'm with the OP, only I've yet to go back to school since graduating HS two years ago. I'm so undecided on which major to pursue, which is why I haven't gone back to school yet because I don't want to waste time or money (which I don't have a great deal of) on something that I'm not even sure of. I guess there's a certain level of uncertainty involved in choosing a major and a career because you never know what the future holds, but it's such a life changing decision that I don't want to screw up. I've worked the crappy part time jobs in my 2 years since graduating HS and it's not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I have higher aspirations then what I'm doing now, and I know education is a key to getting to where I want to be.

Everyone says "just go to school" like it'll magically give you a job afterwards, but I want to do it right and set myself up for a career instead of having a useless degree that everyone else has (like Brankles said). I'll be reading this thread for insight.

[Brankles]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I'm with the OP, only I've yet to go back to school since graduating HS two years ago. I'm so undecided on which major to pursue, which is why I haven't gone back to school yet because I don't want to waste time or money (which I don't have a great deal of) on something that I'm not even sure of. I guess there's a certain level of uncertainty involved in choosing a major and a career because you never know what the future holds, but it's such a life changing decision that I don't want to screw up. I've worked the crappy part time jobs in my 2 years since graduating HS and it's not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I have higher aspirations then what I'm doing now, and I know education is a key to getting to where I want to be.

Everyone says "just go to school" like it'll magically give you a job afterwards, but I want to do it right and set myself up for a career instead of having a useless degree that everyone else has (like Brankles said). I'll be reading this thread for insight.

Good points.

There really isn't a reason to go to college if you're going to get the same degrees the NFL prospects at your school are getting (sociology, criminology, African American studies, communications, community sciences) simply to get a degree and not do anything with it. A degree means nothing if it doesn't get you anywhere.

I know many people are in financial situations where school isn't an option and they need to save up money. Once you have the ability to go to school, you should. The quicker you find out what you want to do, the better off you are. Life catches up (wife, kids, home, debt, etc) and if these things hit you before or while you're in college, it makes things that much more difficult.

I'm only 23, and I'm going to law school with people who are 35, 40 right now. They've lived entire other existences and are planning on becoming lawyers now. One guy was a sportswriter for 15 years. Another a commercial pilot. One lady sold real estate for years. Some regret their career choice, others just thought it was time to move on. Just because you picked a career and it didn't work, doesn't mean that it's over for you, there are always options. It's just important that you know the sooner you start, the more opportunities you're going to have.

I started off in school with a Journalism major. Didn't like it, so I switched to Advertising, which I really enjoyed. Then the economy went bad my senior year, and I applied to law school. My grades were above average and I gave myself options. I didn't plan on being where I am today, and that was only 2 or 3 years ago. The unknown is terrifying, especially at our age, where we begin defining ourselves as men. We don't want to waste time or money and we don't want to put ourselves in a situation we can't get out of. But I've always had the mentality that I need to keep moving forward or else I may hit a roadblock that I could have avoided.

http://www.funeducation.com/tests/careertest/taketest.aspx

http://resources.monster.com/tools/

http://www.careercolleges.com/career-assessment-test.jsp

http://www.questcareer.com/career_assessment_resources.html

Here are a few career tests that I Googled that you might wanna check out. Dunno how good they are, but sometimes these things help you narrow down your choices and start making decisions on your career path

[slickdtc]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

Thanks for the links and the general opinion. I've actually never taken a career survey before, so I'm interested in the results. Once I get on a better machine, I'll have to do a little Google research on viable careers in this day and age and see which ones fit me because what I've been interested in (sports management, journalism) don't seem like they're the best careers going right now. I don't want to pursue a career that will make me miserable day to day, but I'd like to pursue a career that actually has a future to it and that is at least tolerable.

And I definitely hear you on the "life catches up fast" part. That's a big reason why I need to decide soon. I want to be able to provide for my girlfriend (fiance soon enough and eventually wife), a family we may have, and everything that comes with that territory. Responsibilities are only going to multiply as I grow older, so the clock is ticking. Being left in the dust is not an option.

[ChampN252]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I went to school for networking technologies. I graduated last December, but unfortunately, it is a field that relies heavily on experience and I have none and can't get hired because so. I'm think of going back to school for something else.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

Don't automatically assume you need a 4-year degree. Some technical degrees earn you more money starting out than 4 year BS's AND they get you experience as you're going through them.

Ex. My GF got a BS degree in a field that isn't really hiring and now is about to finish a 2 year technical degree that'll be paying her almost 50K starting out (sonography).

The main thing is major in something that you'll enjoy (can see yourself doing for 30+ years) and can find multiple jobs in (not limiting yourself to one thing).

[Brankles]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

Don't automatically assume you need a 4-year degree. Some technical degrees earn you more money starting out than 4 year BS's AND they get you experience as you're going through them.

Ex. My GF got a BS degree in a field that isn't really hiring and now is about to finish a 2 year technical degree that'll be paying her almost 50K starting out (sonography).

The main thing is major in something that you'll enjoy (can see yourself doing for 30+ years) and can find multiple jobs in (not limiting yourself to one thing).

Yup. Technical degrees are a great way to go. Usually not too expensive to acquire, and good solid work for the rest of your life.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I started off as a CIS major but got bored with it after 2 years and switched to BIS major. Kind of funny alot of people don't know what BIS is. Basically it is Business management combined with computer programming.

[Brankles]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I started off as a CIS major but got bored with it after 2 years and switched to BIS major. Kind of funny alot of people don't know what BIS is. Basically it is Business management combined with computer programming.

What do you know about CIS? I have a friend who is kind of interested in it.

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I started off as a CIS major but got bored with it after 2 years and switched to BIS major. Kind of funny alot of people don't know what BIS is. Basically it is Business management combined with computer programming.

That's kind of what I'm in, BIT, Business information technology.

For me, I was very unsure of what I wanted to be when I got to college. I knew my strengths were in computers so it was either computer programming or BIT. I looked at the required courses for computer programming and decided I didn't want to go that route, so I'm in BIT. Also, at the introductory meeting, they said BIT was one of the fastest growing fields and that they'll pretty much hire you and train you regardless of your GPA.

It's also one of the highest paying jobs right out the gate. My sister said she had a friend who's 37 in BIT and she's made enough money to retire.

Last year I switched my major to Management because I was struggling in a couple of the courses, but I changed it back. The realization came when I was at a job fair and one of the employers was going over my resume and said that pretty much all of my experience and whatnot was in BIT, so I should probably switch back. So I'm back in BIT, but I'll be here another year.

Also, for you BIT/BIS guys, are you going to grad school?

[The GIGGAS]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I've always pretty much known what I wanted to do. However, I came into college undecided between two options: music and computer science. I picked computer science, and now I'm reallllly happy about that choice.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: How did you finally decide what to major in?

I will go to grad school eventually. Far as what CIS involves, a hell of a lot of LONG lab hours programming mountains of code. You start off with the basics, then move on up to C, C++, etc. I wouldn't recommend going the CIS route unless you live in a programming state like Cali, Arizona, Texas, Mass, Maryland or Virginia. Those are the states where all the CIS jobs are.

A lot of companines nowadays out source their programmers to India anyway. Where as BIS or BIT majors are more flexible because you know some programming but you know the business side of it as well, so you can fit some of anywhere.

But when you a CIS major, you pigeoned holed into programming type jobs only for the most part. Because I know when I was in college, CIS majors were shy and had poor communication skills, especially when it involved speaking in front of a crowd.