There’s SO much to love about being in college. Living on your own for the first time. Making new friends. Going to sporting events. It’s an awesome experience.
At the same time, the main purpose of college is to choose an area of study and prepare for your career. That’s why people spend tens of thousands of dollars attending school.
Choosing a major isn’t easy work, especially while also trying to finish high school. The decision-making process can feel like a major weight, especially with so many options.
Thankfully, you don’t have to go through the decision-making progress alone. We’ve created a page to help you consider all the factors that go into choosing a degree program. We’ll even tell you about some job prospects after college for the most popular majors.
How to choose the right college major
First and foremost, the right major for you should be the right major for YOU. Don’t let someone else pick your major. If you aren’t passionate about your own major, you won’t enjoy school, and you’ll have a tough time getting excited about your career.
Remember that picking a major is a personal decision. Consider which factors matter most to you as you narrow your options.
Now, we know what you’re thinking — what factors even go into a decision like this? Great question. Let’s unpack it.
Factors to consider when choosing a college major
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we think the following questions are good to think about as you start considering particular majors.
What careers interest you?
Imagine you’re shopping for new clothes. Most people will try on a shirt or pair of pants before making a purchase to see how it fits. When you try something on, there’s no commitment — you could just as easily put it back on the shelf and walk out of the store.
At this point in your life, thinking about careers is a similar experience. There’s no commitment yet. You’re simply trying on different options to see how they fit.
With that in mind, let’s start with a broad question: What are your interests? What kind of jobs appeal to you? The possibilities are endless.
Strike up a conversation with a friend about what careers they’re interested in. Maybe something they say will spur an idea for you.
Another idea is to take a career aptitude test that recommends potential jobs based on your interests and personality traits.
Once you get into college, you can try different internships to see what your future career experience might be like.
What are the salary expectations in various job fields?
Once you have an idea of a few career fields that seem interesting to you, it’s a good idea to research the earning potential of your chosen major.
Your career isn’t only about making money, but you’ll want to have an idea of how easily you can pay off your degree once you get out of school.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website is a great place to find these statistics. The BLS keeps stats on median salaries for a wide range of jobs and industries.
What are your personal interests?
What are your hobbies? What do you like to do? If there’s an opportunity for your passion to overlap with your job, you’ll likely find more enjoyment in your work.
For example, maybe you’ve always loved animals and are considering becoming a veterinarian. Or perhaps you like computers and want to learn more about engineering or computer science.
Connecting personal interests and hobbies is a great way to brainstorm potential careers. At the same time, don’t forget you’ll also have some general education requirements and prerequisites to check off before taking classes in your chosen major.
You’ll probably finish most (if not all) of these gen ed classes by the end of your sophomore year.
What are you good at?
What were you previously good at in school? How can this help you develop ideas for potential majors or careers?
For example, if English was super easy for you, perhaps you’d make a great writer. If you have a knack for science, maybe you’d do well in biology or physics.
How much does the college program cost?
Once you have an idea of which major you’re looking at, start learning about schools that offer that major and reviewing how much they cost.
Most people start by looking at individual schools’ websites. This takes SO much time. What if there was an easier way?
Well, we’re happy to tell you that there is. Check out our full database of colleges at College Rover. We do all the research and compile the information in our database to make your life easier.
What are the employment rates in your desired field?
We told you earlier that the BLS was a great place to research median salaries. The website also compiles information about projected employment growth in various fields.
For example, if you’re considering a career in software development, you might be interested to learn that the BLS projects 25% job growth over the next 10 years. This averages out to over 162,000 jobs each year.
Most popular jobs by college major
Now you know a little more about how to narrow potential fields of study. Up next, we’ll look at some of the most common industries and the most popular jobs in each one.
If you’re thinking about a course of study that isn’t on this list, reach out to your school’s academic advisor to learn about different fields and different majors. You can also use our full database of majors and degree programs.
Most popular jobs for business majors
Business majors take classes in accounting, finance, marketing, and project management. Possible jobs after college include:
- Accountant
- Human resource specialist
- Marketing manager
- Project manager
- Business analyst
- Management consultant
Check out our post on the best undergraduate business schools.
Most popular jobs for health-related majors
If you’re working on a health-related degree, your coursework will include various science classes like biology, anatomy, and chemistry. Your degree will open up numerous career opportunities, including:
- Community health worker
- Biostatistician
- Dietician
- Health scientist
- Biostatistician
- Health sciences writer
- Healthcare administrator
Most popular jobs for social sciences majors
As a social sciences major, you’ll learn about how people interact with each other. Specific majors include political science, sociology, history, and economics. As you can imagine, this leads to plenty of potential job opportunities, including:
- Social work
- Teacher
- Lawyer
- Financial manager
- Media and communication worker
- Public relations specialist
- Urban and regional planner
Most popular jobs for engineering majors
Although specific courses depend on your specialization, engineering majors should expect to do a lot of work with math and science. Here are some specific career options to think about after finishing your degree:
- Mechanical engineer
- Technical writer
- Industrial engineer
- Electronics technician
- Civil engineer
- Chemical engineer
- Software engineer
Keep in mind that many schools offer specialized degrees in engineering. For example, your school may offer mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering degrees.
Most popular jobs for biology majors
Biology majors take courses in genetics, anatomy, and biochemistry, along with classes like animal and cell biology. Biology majors can pursue plenty of different jobs after school, including:
- Biological technician
- Health communications specialist
- Health educator
- Biochemist
- Pharmaceutical sales representative
- Nurse practitioner or physician assistant
Many biology grads enroll in graduate school or medical school to pursue advanced degrees after they finish their bachelor’s degree.
Most popular jobs for psychology majors
As a psychology major, you’ll take classes in cognitive and neurological studies to better understand why people behave the way they do. Once you finish your degree, you could pursue jobs like:
- Child development specialist
- Caseworker
- Community organization worker
- Substance abuse counselor
- Marriage and family therapist
- Experimental psychologist
- School counselor
College Rover can help you find the best school and program for you
There you have it! Hopefully, you know a little more about how to select a major and what opportunities might open up for you in the job market.
If you’re looking for more help searching for colleges, check out our full database at College Rover. We exist to make the process of searching for schools a lot easier (and a lot more awesome).
As you look up information on different schools, you can even create a spreadsheet of options to share with friends and family. Give it a try today!
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