Deciding what you want to do career-wise is a huge decision and the first step is choosing a major. Right? Not quite.
When you're deciding your future, you probably follow these steps: Go to school, pick a major, then find a job in the major. Sound familiar? But so many times there's a 4th step that no one really tells you about — find another job because you either can't find a great one related to your major ... or you realize you absolutely hate the job you can get with your experience.
If you're looking for even more help —
These tips for your twenties may help
Now what?
Choosing The Right Major
What you think you'd like to do for a career and what you actually want to do aren't always the same thing. You shouldn't be choosing a major by asking yourself, "What do I like to do?"
You should already know from first-hand experience what your talents are before you even think about the kind of education you need to correspond to that talent. Plus, it's even harder to choose your major with parental pressure ("you should be a nurse"), time pressure ("you need to choose before next semester or you'll be behind"), and the fact that you're in a stage of your life where you're figuring out who you are in the first place.
Two years ago Forbes posted an article covering college graduate trends and what they ended up doing after graduating Here's what they found:
"Half of grads say they would choose a different major or school if they could do their education over. It’s not surprising that the visual and performing arts majors have the most regrets, with 47 percent saying they would study something else given the chance. For social science majors, it’s 39 percent."
Everyone is doing it all wrong. Consider for a moment what would happen if you switched the steps you took while picking a major:
Find Out Who You Are
Young adults should find themselves doing a bit of soul searching after high school and into their early 20s. Where do I picture my life going? Should I go on a service trip or a religious mission? What should I major in? Should I backpack Europe?
You can answer a lot of those questions by volunteering and spending your time making a difference — you might discover that teaching English or volunteering in an orphanage will lead you to discover unexpected paths for yourself. A semester abroad will give you time on your own to step back, get new perspective, and decide what your goals are before you jump into them. Volunteering (and a bit of travel) was the thing Brianna needed to help her realize she was in the wrong major.
Get Some Experience
It's not that education isn't necessary or important, but you don't have to start school right now (contrary to popular belief). School is so important that you should make sure you're taking the classes you need to prepare you for the job you will actually have.
Figure out what you'd like to do on a daily basis before locking yourself into a major or job you won't really like. Job shadow people in careers you're interested in. Analyze the perks and disadvantages of the positions you research.
Consider an internship or volunteer in your field of interest to get on-the-job experience.
Find A Job You Love Then Choose Your Major
After you find a field that you enjoy working in, ask those who work there what major would be most beneficial for that line of work. Ask employees what they majored in and what they would have done differently. You may be surprised to realize it's probably not a major that you were even considering.
Even more, education is more about the skills you learn while getting your degree, rather than the set skills you may need for a set position. You can't be a doctor without going to medical school, but so many more medical programs are looking for students with a varied background of interests. You may get a better scholarship to your med school because you're studying English or philosophy which really sets you apart from all the applicants who are studying chemistry.
The Princeton Review published an article about the pre-med majors to consider and guess which surprising one made the list? Humanities. "Majoring in a humanities subject such as modern or classical languages, literature, or philosophy will certainly set you apart from other medical school applicants." Discussing these options with people in your field may reveal a surprising major you might had never considered.
Then, Get The Eduction You Need
Choose the major that was advised to you by those in your field of choice. You'll feel a lot more confident and have a clearer focus before diving into school. Another perk? Your experiences that led you to that decision will help you immensely on your college application. Showing that you've served abroad, decided to serve a religious mission, spend time job shadowing for the job you want, all set you apart and show initiative. You'll not only go into college with a strong sense of your educational purpose, but as a stronger candidate for your major. It's a total win-win.
Wondering if volunteering abroad can help you find your way?
International Language Programs is a non-profit organization who has years and years of experience helping college-aged students do just that. You'll be living abroad, challenging yourself and delving into rich cultures, giving you the chance to really mold who you are. Come learn more about all the countries you can volunteer in (and how it can help you figure out what comes next). 
