In yesterday’s post, we looked at some practical factors to consider what choosing a major, namely, career paths, financial aspects, and growth potential. The final installment of this three-post series takes things back to the personal level. Who you are and how you want to live your life must be considered in choosing the career area that is so strongly tied to deciding on a major.
Personality. Are you energized by being with other people, or do you need time alone to recharge? Do you like dealing with concepts or theories, or are you more comfortable with specific facts and figures? Do you thrive when there is public pressure to succeed, or do you prefer individual feedback? Do you need flexibility in your work environment, or are defined rules and schedules optimal for you? The answers to these questions can provide insight into your personality and what kind of job environment may be best suited to you. Links to some helpful personality measures will be provided in an upcoming post.
Lifestyle preferences. Do you like being busy all the time? Do you prefer to work at a more steady pace? Do you need a lot of variety in the work you do, or do you thrive on doing a smaller range of tasks with excellence? Do you prefer living in an urban or a rural area? Is 40 hours your ideal work week, or are you willing to work as many hours in a week as it takes to complete a project? These are but a few of the questions you should ask yourself when considering the careers that stem from a prospective major. While some people, for instance, may want the prestige and affluence that comes from being a heart surgeon, few of them will be willing to go through the intensive schooling, demanding and low-paying internships and residencies, long hours, and stressful working conditions needed to reach that goal.
Visualize your life 5 years from now, 10 years from now, and 20 years from now. What is the quality of life you want to have? Where do you want to be living? What kinds of relationships will you have? Work has a profound influence on all of your life, so choosing a career path and major wisely will have long-term payoffs.
Making a decision as to what your major will be takes using both your head and your heart. Hopefully, this series of posts has given you some ideas about how to choose a major or even to re-evaluate the major you have already decided upon.
