As seniors finalize what college they want to attend, and juniors begin drafting their college lists, many students are dreading what subjects they want to dedicate their life to. Luckily, with a bit of time, there are many ways to explore and finalize what students want to do.
Step 1: Write down 5-10 of your interests
Although it’s common advice, the best way to figure out what you want to major in is by figuring out a few of your interests.
“I think the most important thing is to evaluate your interests and the classes you’ve taken in high school that have piqued your interest,” Charissa Chapman, a counselor at the high school, said.
Think about your favorite classes. Maybe if you don’t have a favorite class, think about your favorite hobbies, or your favorite things you do in classes. Maybe you enjoy writing essays, solving math problems, and even talking to other people about subjects within your classes.
Step 2: Figure out majors from your interests
After figuring out what interests you, begin looking for majors that align with your interests. Similar to figuring out your interests, search up a list of majors at a school that really interests you and scroll through the list. Write down which ones sound cool and sound like they could mesh well with your interests. From here, you can narrow down your list of potential majors.
Step 3: Research careers from majors
After narrowing down a few majors that sound interesting to you, look at potential careers that could come from your majors. For example, if you are interested in finance, a few common careers could be being a financial analyst, investment banker, or a portfolio manager. Typically a quick Google search can tell you careers related to your major.
It’s important to note your major is not your end all be all career.
“What we hear from employers all the time [regarding what major a student chooses] is that it’s less about the degree and more about the experiences and the skills students develop while they are in college,” Chapman said.
The job market is constantly changing, meaning majors can be utilized in many different ways.
“This generation that is just getting employed right now will have up to 30 jobs in their career. If you look back to my parents generation, most people got their education and had one one job for life,” Chapman said.
Step 4: Explore your interests by talking to adults in different careers
Once you know some of your favorite skills or interests, the next best thing you can do is to figure out if you actually enjoy that field. Luckily, the Kent ISD programs can be a great way to meet adults and figure out if a career is suitable for you.
“A lot of what we try to do in the counseling department is connect students to things that are happening at the KISD. KISD offers job shadow interviews for a variety of different fields and industries. Students can talk to adults in 30 minute spots,” Chapman said.
Step 5: Continue engaging with potential majors
To continue honing down your interests, consider taking classes related to your major.
“While you are in school, and for example, maybe you’re thinking you want to go into law sometime, take We the People or if you’re thinking maybe architecture or construction management, try DDT,” Chapman said.
If you don’t have the elective space, you can look at colleges you’re thinking of applying to and see what classes students typically take. If these classes sound interesting, then maybe this major might be something worth your time.
Ultimately, picking your major can be a big and frightful decision, but with a little time, you can hopefully narrow down your potential interests to find something you’ll enjoy studying. It’s important to note that many college students will change their major at least once before declaring their major, and the major you choose doesn’t dictate what career you will be in. Good luck, East!
