Majors

[lacedinlavender]

Today was the first day of my second semester of my freshman year at college, and I'm still just as lost regarding what on God's green eart I want to do with my life as I was at the beginning of the first semester. I have considered several things, including nursing, respiratory therapy, communications, education...really, just about everything! My biggest problem is that I am scared to try new things. I'm scared of failure, and I don't want to be.

How did you all decide what you wanted to major in?

Jen

 

[Boss_BlueAngels]

Hey Jen, congrats on completing your first semester!

Well, there is one problem in what you said... fear of trying new things. Your college life depends upon your abilities to try new things. One of the reasons colleges have general education requirements is so that people like yourself can get a broad overview of what the college has to offer.

The only way you can find new things you may be interested in is to just sign up for a different class than you would normally. It's one of those things you just HAVE to do. Take a chance... the worst thing that could happen is you have to drop the class. Big deal.

Also, don't let your fear of failing blind you right now. The only way you can SUCCEED is to try new things and see what you like. I mean, what is the alternative? Sit there bored forever? lol Just try it out, talk to other people and see what interesting classes they've taken.

If you don't like the class you can just switch classes within the first week or so.

So yeah, just try something new! Go! Now!


P.S. To fully answer your question... I knew what I wnated to major in since I was 5. And to find my minor, the other thing I love is public speaking, so I chose communications.

 

[fishstix]

I chose a subject area that I enjoyed. There were a few different possible areas that I was considering, so I looked at the classes that each major involved. Some were eliminated that way. I also considered what I wanted to do after university, which also eliminated a few. In the end, I was left with two, and chose one as a major and the other one as a minor

 

[seamonster]

I picked something I absolutely loved and something that I knew I wouldn't get sick of!

 

[FlatpickingJD]

I kind of stumbled into my undergrad major. I was in one department, and couldn't get the classes I needed. So, I started taking classes in another department, enjoyed those classes, and that was that.

You've gotten some great advice here. You have a couple years where you have to take GE classes, which is the time to try something new. Take advantage of it.

We are all scared of failure, it's just whether we let that dictate how we function that determines whether we fail or not.

Congrats on finishing your 1st semester and I wish you the best of luck in the rest of your college career!

 

[JonF]

I picked my major because I loved it and I’m gifted in it. And mostly because it’s the only thing that wouldn’t drive me nuts.

 

[Cvrt.308Wraith]

Year 1:
First major: Nuclear Engineering - became bored of the math and didn't like the job opportunites when I would be done since nukes and nuclear reactor power plants are taboo in this day and age (rolls eyes), switched to another major.

Year 2 1/2:
Second Major: Civil Engineering - still bored of the math, realized that I would not fare well in a desk job, switched majors again.

Year 3:
Third major: Criminal Justice. After a term of criminal justice classes I realized that I realy did not need to spend the next 40 years of my life being shot at by the scum of the earth day in and day out, switched majors again.

Year 3 1/2 - present/year 5: Settled on Aviation. Tranferred from a community college after one year to a 4 year state college to finish my degree - added on a second batchelors degree in Air Traffic Control in year 4.

Pretty sure I am going to stay in aviation now that I have approximatly $38K in school debt for all the flying and labs.

 

[oncewaslost]

well, i've been told throughout my life that i have to major in something that has a skill. something that can be used no matter where you are and something that's not being outsourced. yeah, how confusing is that?

through pressure from my family i started out in computer science. i was miserable. my sophomore year, everything went down the drain. i almost failed out, i wasn't eating, i wasn't sleeping, and i was in tears 90% of the time. i wasn't fast enough to complete what was required of me. my second semester sophomore year, i changed majors and am now a history pre-law major. i am so much happier and my gpa is slowly recovering from the damage it took last year. this time, i chose the major.

i chose history pre-law because i've always loved history and i have excellent writing skills (i know it doesn't show here ). it's something i enjoy and i'm not dreading classes every day. i still don't really know what i'm doing in life, but that's half the fun. it's starting to concern me a little more since i only have a year left but i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.

 

[sunshine01]

as far a picking a major. mine was easy. i figured it out in high school. originally i was gonna be this master of an architect and get rich. i took some drafting classes, decided i hated it, and joined the jazz band. so my new plan was to be a music whiz on the piano and get rich that way. well, that didn't last b/c i quit jazz. i stumbled upon becoming a partner in a business my friends own, and i really enjoyed it. so business is my intended major now and i plan to get rich by making people buy things from me.

don't worry about picking a major. whatever you do, don't tripple major just b/c you can't decide. that's wicked hard and it will kill you. and don't be like my aunt and switch 8 times and have to stay in college for 6 extra years to get a 4 year degree. that just wastes money.

best of luck!

 

[reverie_maiden]

I decided to major in English because of my love of reading and writing. I want to become a librarian or an editor. In the past I have written devotionals for other christian forums, and even written one on here. Spelling, good grammar, and so on are just a few of my pet peeves, so I do suppose some day I would make a very annoying editor, lol. If a Library Science field was offered around here it would make my day, but that field just doesn't seem to be offered around here, especially not in my area.

 

[rebornyetagain]

I picked my major, History, because I've always felt that I've been meant to teach. History is the one subject that I could never get away from. It's funny, so far in my college experience... ok it's only been one semester/ 2 History courses... I've gone into the classes with more than enough knowledge to Ace the class.

 

[okiemommy26]

God showed me my major. I did not pick it by myself. Of course I started college later than most of the ones on here. The best way to pick a major is to pray about it. The reason why I knew Elementary Education was best for me was everytime I would go into a classroom in my daughters school I would feel at home. Like I want to do this.

 

[Rin4Christ]

I got interested in microbiology in Jr high and have concentrated on things in the area since. In HS i fell in love with genetics and so choose a school that offered a major in genetics. After i started school i found that a second major only required 15 more hours, so i picked up a biochemistry 2nd major.

So now im a double major in genetics and biochemistry about to graduate and looking at graduate programs (PhD) in virology (study of viruses).

Im somewhat unusual in that i have known what i wanted o do since jr high. ALot of people use College as a time to decide. My roomate atualy has a degree in genetics and has decided she doesn't want to use it and so is looking at cullinary school....

Take your time and decide what intrests you most, and its never too late to go back and try something diffrent. As far as being scared to try new things, maybe work your way through the list as things are similar, so that new classes can at least build on things you already know.

ANother suggestion is talk to people in each proffession you are intersted in. Is their carrier the kind you would want to have?

 

[Ellesar]

I'm doing a bio-engineering/pre-med major. I've always toyed with the idea of becoming an engineer and a doctor, but could never choose between the two. when I started in college, I started as a computer engineering major, but quickly found out after a year that that wasn't for me. I wanted to remain in the engineering program, so I switched to bio-engineering. this way I can do both of what I want to do.

 

[Abstract Devotion]

I started out wanting to be a elementary teacher cause everyone around me said i was good with kids.... then i got involved in church my sophomore yr... and was having a blast doing ministry stuff... I remember one night watching my old youth group take down from service and hearing this voice.. this is where you belong. After sharing the idea with mom about going into full time ministry i kinda pushed it aside because it wasnt making her happy... never forgot about it.... I now have a AA in general ed and 15 units in child development. It wasnt up until almost two yrs ago that i started thinking about youth ministry all over again... and with the way things are going now.... Im praying to be in SouthWestern University studying Youth Ministry as my major... and drama as my minor....

Life is full of changes. Sometimes we think we are going in the right direction but then God gets ahold of us and turns us around. Best advice is pray about it.... spend time really searching inside and find out what it is you love to do... tend to one... it just may be something God has placed in your heart..... Sometimes... it takes a step of faith to step out and say ok God ill do what you want .... I know.... Hang in there.... youll find what youre lookin for.... Prayin for ya

Terri

 

[MetalBlade]

Don't worry, one day it will just click and you will know! I knew when I went in, but that is ok too.

 

[Grunt]

Don't worry, one day it will just click and you will know!

That's very true. It's really foolish IMO how kids are expected to jump into college and know at 17 or 18 what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It's really telling that, at least in the UNC system, the rate of kids who graduate in 4 yrs from the school which they started at is about 30%. During my first year at College, essentially everyone I knew changed their major, some multiple times.

If you can't decide what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with taking a year or two to work and evaluate your goals in life. It's what I did, unfortunately after wasting $12,000 on a year of college that ended up being worthless to me. Sure, now I'll end up finishing school two years "behind" my peers, but, besides the other things that I've learned in that time, my resume now includes experiences at two major corporations, including being in the corporate IT department of one of those. I'd much rather have that experience.

 

[shaslove]

God picked mine when I was called into the ministry...mine is Youth Ministry

Be patient, God calls everyone into something (even secular jobs) and He will show you!

 

[Super Gnat]

Don't worry too much about choosing the 'wrong' major. Even if you pick something that doesn't turn out to suit you at all, it's really easy to get into another career. I mean, my father started out wanting to work at nuclear power plants. But instead he's ended up doing a lot of stuff with boats and submarines, and now he works on regulating stuff for the government. My mother became a veterinarian, and she still likes it and practices sometimes on the weekends. But her day job is as an epidemiologist. (They basically track the spread of diseases, which can be difficult depending on the data they have, and help with techniques to contain them. When bird flu jumps to humans in a big way and is then stopped dead in its tracks, it'll be thanks to the work of epidemiologists.) Anyway, the point is, it's not *that* important what you get your undergraduate degree in. It's important to have a college degree, but you may very well end up working in a very different area.

 

[JamiArch]

Today was the first day of my second semester of my freshman year at college, and I'm still just as lost regarding what on God's green eart I want to do with my life as I was at the beginning of the first semester. I have considered several things, including nursing, respiratory therapy, communications, education...really, just about everything! My biggest problem is that I am scared to try new things. I'm scared of failure, and I don't want to be.

How did you all decide what you wanted to major in?

Jen

I just decided today after being at my school for 4 years already. It will be Office Assistant since I want to work in an office someday. I realized I wanted to do this after me and my guidance counselor discussed possible majors I would like. It will take a long time, but I hope I can pull it off.