Choosing a major is a defining moment in a student’s life. A major determines not only the course of study, but it also has a huge influence over the student’s career track.
This is no small decision. To put this into perspective, the current average cost for a four year degree at a public university is about $89,000. And the average student spends almost 5000 hours of their life attending university classes and doing homework. There’s a lot on the line, especially when most students only hope they’ve chosen the right major.
Do you know a student or student to be? If they’re using one of these nine flawed strategies to choose a major and get into a job, chances are they have an uphill battle ahead of them. Share this and my next blog post with them to see if it applies to them.
Flawed Strategy #1 - Choosing Your Major Based Upon Which Classes You Excel In
At first blush, this seems to be a good way to choose a major, and occasionally it does lead to a fitting major and in turn a rewarding career. However, just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy doing it the rest of your life. That’s the flaw with skills based career counseling and choosing a major this way.
A better methodology is to get into something that you’re not only naturally good at, but that energizes you completely. Otherwise, a life of competent boredom may be ahead.
Flawed Strategy #2 – Choosing Your Major Based Upon What Your Parents Do
Choosing a major based upon what your parents do is often the default way. You choose to follow the path of your parents, often because of money, the prestige or maybe even heritage. Even though you are genetically connected to your parents, common DNA doesn’t necessarily mean you would be happy being in the same occupation. And remember, 86% of parents don’t love what they do for a living anyway.
Ten years from now your parents won’t be sitting inside that cubicle with you. If you don’t love what you do, you’re the only one who has to suffer. Common DNA doesn’t mean common interests.
Flawed Strategy #3 - Choosing Your Major Based Upon Your Dreams
Many say this is the best way to choose a major because after all, you are following your dreams. Sometimes dreaming is a good way to discover what you love, but only if your dreams are realistic and achievable based upon who you are. More often than not, dreams are just that… dreams.
Even though the desire is there, dreams also need to be supported by natural ability. Dreams are not the best way to choose your major. Not everybody can be the next Tiger Woods.
Flawed Strategy #4 – Choosing Your Major Because A Friend Said To
Those who know you well may suggest you consider a particular occupation or major. You’ve probably heard something like, “Have you ever thought of being a doctor / writer / architect / psychiatrist?” Brainstorming with others is actually a very good way to choose a major and career, but there is a wrong way and a right way. The wrong way is to consider entering a career only because others think you’d be good at it, even though you don’t know what energizes you at the core. Make sure that it energizes YOU, and will for quite some time.
Flawed Strategy #5 – Choosing Your Major Based on Aptitude and Personality Tests
Aptitude and personality testing is fast becoming popular for both high school and college students. These tests are interesting, but not necessarily the best way to find an energizing career. They measure your hand/eye coordination, “tweezer” dexterity, thumb dexterity, aptitude, personality type, spatial recognition, verbal abilities and visual and reading skills. Then the magic black box spits out careers you’d be good at and the work environment you would enjoy.
These tests tend to box you in to one of a half dozen careers you’d be good at. Once again, just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you’ll love doing it full time. Regardless of how nice the office is, if what you’re doing doesn’t energize you, you’re signing up to join the 86% group who don’t love their job.
A better way is to know what you do naturally well and what totally energizes you. Relying on canned personality and aptitude testing to choose your career will box you in.
I’ll tell you the other four flawed methods in my next post. Until then…
Have some fun with just being YOU!!