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College is an interesting place, one day you think you have life figured out and the next you are lost. I started college as an Architecture major and now I am graduating as a Communications major. Keep reading if you want to find out how I chose my major.

General Education Classes

When my advisor said to explore classes outside of my major, I naturally decided to only pick classes within the architecture major. Unfortunately (or fortunately), my plans were disrupted when all of the classes were taken, and I was forced to follow my advisor’s suggestion. To my surprise I ended up hating my only architecture class but loving my psychology and communications classes.

Clubs

With an infinite list of clubs, finding one I liked felt like working on a highly complicated project that could alter my life forever (ok..maybe I was being a little dramatic but as an indecisive person this task was difficult). After signing up for more clubs than I can count I ended up committing to the Hall Council. We were responsible for organizing activities for our building and collaborating with the Resident Assistance. This made me aware of my passion for working in teams, managing projects, and studying people’s behaviors to better cater to them.

Self-Reflection

After joining multiple organizations and living the college life for a year, I reflected on all my experiences and made a list of all the jobs that I saw myself doing based on the skills I’ve gained and what I’ve discovered about myself. Once I had the list finalized, I ranked them and looked up what the three highest positions actually entailed.

Choice

With the list of jobs narrowed down to my top three, all I needed to do was pick. Difficult for sure, but not impossible. Time told me what I searched for, showing me the right path along the way. Looking back at my choices and comparing it to my passion guided me towards just the right major for me.

Why?

When people asked me why I wanted to be an architect, my mind went blank. The truth is there wasn’t a reason, I just picked something and moved on. Now, when someone asks why I chose Communications, my eyes spark with joy and my heart races telling endless stories that made me who I am today.

To make it simpler for you. I came up with a series of steps you can follow to make choosing a major less intimidating.

Key Steps to Find the Perfect Major

1. Take general education classes and allow yourself to explore multiple fields
2. Join clubs that spark your interest
3. Find a mentor within a club/class and ask for guidance
4. Do some self-reflection and come up with jobs that you see yourself doing in the future
5. Make a list of three to five jobs and learn more about them
6. Decide which major fits your interests and aspirations best
7. Ask yourself, why did I choose this major?

By the end of these steps, you should have an idea of what you want to major in. However, if you cannot answer the question on step seven it is time to go back to step 1. Repeat this process as many times as you need and remember that it is never too late to change your path. Remember, ultimately, we all have the same goal, to be happy. If you don't feel passionate about your career, then reconsider your options and start again. The path is there, you just have to find it. Allow yourself to wander and get lost because that's the only way to learn and grow.

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