Major Decisions

In college you will be constantly asked questions. How did you interpret this text? What theories could you apply here? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? And all sort of very important questions like that. One of the most loaded questions I get is “What are you going to do with THAT degree?” I am a speech communications major and although I believe speech communications is great, for some strange reason nobody shares this mindset. I mean it’s not like when I graduate I will have a speech job at some communication factory somewhere. Things are very up for interpretation in relation to my future and, although I am a planner, I for some reason am ok with this.

                I have changed my major 4 times since the beginning of my college career, but in so many ways I think that’s what college is about. Don’t let people lie to you, college is not about getting good grades or even about declaring your major (although these things are great and beneficial after college). College is about figuring out who you are and what you are passionate about. If you are passionate about people and culture, like me, don’t major in something where you have to meticulously work with machines. It might be a good idea, however, to major in something that deals with communicating with those people or more completely understanding their culture. You may major in something that does not give you job security after you graduate, but if you major in something you are passionate about you will not suffer through school to get out and only realize you now hate your CAREER as much as you hated your classes. Remember that college is about finding YOURSELF. Don’t spend your time trying to make everyone else happy by choosing this or that major. Spend your time figuring out yourself. Start now! If you are like I was and have no idea where to start my advice is use your resources. At UT Tyler we have an amazing career counseling service out of our Student Counseling center. You take a test about what you want to do with your life, and they help you interpret the results. There are also online tests that can help you figure it out. If that doesn’t work you can look at strength quest. Strength quest is an assessment that focuses on you and what your strengths are. If you are not somebody who likes assessments and everything I just mentioned sounds terrible, then I suggest you start living your life and figure it out. You’ll figure it out sooner or later I’m sure. I mean I did and after moving past the 4 major changes I think I am pretty successful!