How to Pick Your Major/Minors

Choosing a major in college can be overwhelming, so be sure to take some time and explore available resources and gain insight about choosing your major and minor.

As the job market becomes more competitive, companies are requiring more qualifications from their applicants—this is an important reason why you should choose a college major that suits your strengths, personality, and interests. Here are aspects to consider when choosing a major in college.

• Do you work well with people and thrive in a busy, fast paced environment, or do your strengths lie in computers and technology?
• Is it important that you work in a field where you are able to help people?
• Do you enjoy hands-on work?
• Would you like to work outdoors?
• Do you enjoy working with children or animals?
• Would you like to travel?

Choosing a major in college and ultimately deciding on the type of field that you go into, so it is important that you make sure that you are choosing a major that suits you and is something you can see yourself making a career out of and doing for many years to come.

To choose your college minor, start by writing down a list of areas that interest you and areas that complement your college major. For example, if you're majoring in marketing but enjoy criminal studies or the arts, minor in criminal justice, literature or art history. Another option is to choose a minor that stresses an area you struggle with and will benefit you after graduation. If you're an English major but don't write well, tweak your writing skills with a minor in creative writing. Or, why not have fun with your college minor and choose something you enjoy that is completely different from your major --this makes the extra work seem less tedious and lets you break away from the rigors of your regular studies. Planning a minor around your future career or travel goals and picking a foreign language minor if you plan on traveling after graduation or working in an area with a high population of non-native speakers is also a great option.

Make sure to make the final decision on your own--you are the one who has to live with these choices for the rest of your life, so make them count. Choosing a major and minor in college that coincides with your beliefs, interests, and strengths is important. Good luck!