Did you know what you wanted to major in, or do after, college? If so, what did you figure it out?

Question

It seems so many people feel pressured to go to college, but then do not know what to major in. Then either, graduates do or do not know what they want to do with their life... was that you? When and how did you come to what you do now?

Answer 1

I went to a four year college for three years before I decided that I didn't want to do what I majored in. So I left and went to a tech school, finished in a year and a half, and make more money than I would have had I finished at the college. Sometimes it takes a little while before you figure out what you want to do with your life.

Answer 2

Just start college with an undeclared major. Do some research on what type of jobs you can get with certain majors. Figure out what you enjoy doing. When i graduated HS i knew that I enjoyed working with computers. I majored in Computer Science when I began college and finished in 4 years. Also, look at the salary of certain jobs. Try shadowing different professional to determine what you will and will not like.

Answer 3

Don't feel bad. Most people don't know at first what they want to do. I started as a Poliltical Science major with a speech scholarship as a pre-legal course. After one semester, I switched to comparative literature but still pre-legal. After two years, I switched to zoology/entomology and that was what I got for my B.S. degree. Then I took a Master's Degree in Environmental Planning. Finally, I did go to law school and got my Juris Doctorate. So eventually I got what I started out to achieve but I went full circle to get there. Now I am working as a Transportation Planner using my M.A. degree and practicing law on the side. I hope someday to get back into law full time.
You have to think about what you enjoy doing. What stimulates you? Some occupations are nothing more than jobs; they are like the household chore you dread doing. If your job is more like work and drudgery, then you need to find something that grabs your interest. When I was working in construction with my father, I hated getting up in the morning and going to work. At the first opportunity to find employment in my field of study, I jumped on it. Also be aware that our likes and dislikes may change over time. That is what the midlife crises is all about. My wife said going to law school was my midlife crises, but when was it was done, she was okay with it.

Answer 4

I received my first chemistry set for Christmas while I was in the third grade. From that day on, I thought I wanted to be a scientist. That thought lasted until many years later I found myself bored to death while doing a PhD level physics experiment in a laboratory at college.

Being bored with physics was not new, but I had attributed my boredom to not taking real physics...the real physics would come at the PhD level. But here I was, in a lab doing PhD level experiments, and I was still bored...what an epiphany...after twenty some years believing I wanted to be a scientist I found out I really didn't like physics.

I was lucky because about a year after getting my physics degree, I discovered operations analysis (OA) and systems analysis (SA). SA turned out to be what I really wanted to do when I grew up. It was the right combination of sophisticated mathematics (like physics), but applied to real-world tangible issues (unlike physics). So I got an MS in Systems Management and, after I retired from the military, SA was my career.

I never felt pressured to go to college, but it was expected of me...my HS grades were all A's and B's (with one exception...Latin). So I applied to one college and was accepted. But that didn't work out because I did more partying at the fraternity than studying. So I transferred to another college and started over. The good news was that the second college was totally paid for by the U.S. government; so my folks were glad to see me transfer. And the other good news is that my grades were good enough to qualify for postgraduate school...where I did that PhD physics experiment.

My advice when selecting a major and a career path is...don't burn bridges behind you when you make your choice. Always have a plan B. In my case, plan B turned out to be systems analysis, which I was able to go into because my work in physics (as boring as it was) was good enough to be accepted for doing my Masters in systems. The good grades kept my bridges open to go back and try something different.

Answer 5

if you want to go to college, then go as an undeclared major...they'll give you all sorts of classes in different fields so you can decide which field you like best and what you can see yourself doing...being undeclared is a good way to get your college credits out of the way and deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life without wasting your money. eventually, you'll find what you're looking for.