Most people think that you need to select a major before you go to college. Others think that they’ll attend a Junior College and knock out some University Core classes before deciding (usually consisting of a bunch of senseless Biology classes or Art/Craft classes that don’t relate to your final choice of study; I’ll rant about mandatory Core classes some other time). Well there are lots of resources to help you in your decision.

Some people prefer to take a test that evaluates your personality and interests. Lots of colleges have access to these various tests, and if you were to talk to a counselor they could hook you up with a few. A great place to find out how to contact a guidance counselor is your school’s Admissions office. Most legitimate websites that offer valid Major/Career tests charge for them, but lots of educational institutions can hook you up with one of these tests for free.

A good resource for information about how your personality influences your interest in specific careers is Career Key. They offer an e-book (PDF) about career choices for around $15, but there is a lot of content on their site that is free for you to browse through. They even have an article on the Holland Theory of Career Choice (it’s based on 6 personality types) here and another article that allows you to view general information about college majors separated by personality type on this page.

Career Key

I also tested MyMajor.com, and was definitely impressed by the test they had me fill out. I was actually able to get all the way to the part where they  recommended programs of study that I would be interested in FOR FREE! However, to get an “Advisement Report”, they wanted me to pay $15. The quiz seemed very in-depth, so I would take it just to get the Top 5 programs of study (as that would help narrow your choices). You could take those very general Top 5 to your school’s guidance counselor and have a much easier time sifting through some of the degree programs they offer. Side note: at the end of the quiz they have a bunch of sponsored ads from colleges; just keep clicking that you are uninterested to cut through the b.s. and get your Top 5 results.

MyMajor.com Results

Another couple of things to keep in mind when you are searching for that “perfect” major: One, you can ALWAYS change your mind. If you think that you won’t be able to find a job that you even remotely enjoy after college with your chosen program of study, then CHANGE it! The worst things that can happen are that your parents (if they’re paying) get a little irritated that you were three years into your Aerospace degree before you decided to start studying Paleontology or that most of the classes you took won’t count towards your new major. But hey, what’s a few extra semesters in college? The second thing to keep in mind is that very few people take their exact major and turn it into their career. Here’s an example of what I mean: I know someone who graduated with two majors, one in Marketing and one in Management. Pretty general stuff right? Well that person is now working for a paper company as a Replenishment Planner, meaning that she keeps up with when her company’s clients need more paper. That’s a pretty specific job description for a pretty general program of study! Now, obviously she didn’t take any classes on how to distribute paper products, so there’s no way she would have known 4 years ago that she would enjoy slingin’ paper.

That said, remember that the point of going to college is simple: you must prove to a future employer that you are capable of learning and problem solving. This is true for every major I know about, from Art to Zoology. Graduating college demonstrates that you have a desire to learn a trade and that you are both intelligent enough and diligent enough to stick with something for an extended period of time. So don’t stress about your major, because in the grand scheme of college, it’s a minor thing.