{"id":4104,"date":"2022-01-17T17:29:36","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T00:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.decidemymajor.dev.cc\/?page_id=4104"},"modified":"2022-01-17T18:30:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T01:30:30","slug":"switching-majors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.decidemymajor.dev.cc\/switching-majors\/","title":{"rendered":"Switching Majors"},"content":{"rendered":"
In this article, we\u2019ll walk through an eight-step plan for switching college majors, including how to know if you should switch (steps 1 and 2) and what to do about it (steps 3\u20138). If you\u2019re uncertain about your current major or you\u2019re having trouble deciding what to switch to, this article is for you.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, there are two fundamental types of college major: majors that prepare you for a specific career (\u201ccareer prep\u201d) and majors that have you study a subject for its own sake (\u201cself-improvement\u201d). Let\u2019s take a minute to explore these categories so we can use them later.<\/p>\n
Career prep majors prepare you for a specific career by helping you master job skills and acquire mandatory credentials. For example, actuarial science focuses on the knowledge and skills (e.g., probability, statistical computer programming) needed to succeed as an actuary, plus it prepares you for the certification exams. Similarly, elementary education arms you with theories of learning, gives you the opportunity to start honing your craft through student teaching, and gets you on track to become certified as an elementary school teacher.<\/p>\n
In contrast, self-improvement majors do not prepare you for a specific post-graduation job; they encourage you to dive deep into one academic subject, study it from many angles, and learn how to overcome challenging material. If pursued wholeheartedly, self-improvement majors can serve as a great opportunity to improve your general abilities\u2014critical thinking, analytical reasoning, persuasive writing, etc.\u2014which can serve you in many areas of life and work. Many self-improvement majors fit within the conventional idea of liberal arts (such as math and East Asian studies), but almost any major can be self-improvement if its approached out of interest in the subject rather than interest in the job opportunities.<\/p>\n
So, is your current major focused on preparing you for a specific career or encouraging you to study a subject for its own sake? Put another way, is your current major better categorized as career prep or self-improvement? If you\u2019re unsure, treat it as both for the rest of this guide.<\/p>\n
Next, we\u2019ll use your answer from step 1 to look for indications you may be in the wrong major.<\/p>\n
If you answered career prep, how many of these match your situation?<\/p>\n
If you answered self-improvement, how many of these match your situation?<\/p>\n
If one or more of these indicators matches your situation, you should consider changing majors. I emphasize the word \u201cconsider\u201d, because the indicators aren\u2019t perfect. They signal that something might be wrong, but they can\u2019t tell you what to do about it. The remaining six steps in this guide will lead you through the process of figuring out what to do.<\/p>\n
If none of these indicators match your situation, you probably don\u2019t need to change majors. Skip ahead to step 7 for advice about adapting your current major to better meet your needs.<\/p>\n
Finally, it\u2019s worth noting what\u2019s not on these lists: stress, frustration, unhappiness, etc. Although these emotions can indicate something\u2019s wrong in your life, it\u2019s risky to act on them before you\u2019ve figured out what\u2019s causing them. Instead, I recommend you try to understand your feelings by talking them out with a friend or writing them down in a journal. You may find they\u2019re caused by factors unrelated to your major (such as your grades, student loans, or dating life), in which case switching majors probably won\u2019t help.<\/p>\n
At this point, we\u2019ve established that you might need to change your major. Over the next few steps, we\u2019ll build a list of potential majors, narrow it down to the best options, and then talk about how to compare them with your current major. If you\u2019re one of the rare individuals who already has a firm idea of what you want, and you don\u2019t want to explore any other options, skip ahead to step 5. For everyone else, let\u2019s start brainstorming.<\/p>\n
First, you need to decide what type of major you\u2019re looking for. If your current major is self-improvement, for example, should you be looking at other self-improvement majors or at career prep majors? To answer that question, take a look back at the list of indicators. If the fourth indicator on either list resonated with you, you may want to consider changing approaches (from self-improvement to career prep or vice versa). If you need help exploring the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach, check out my guide to thinking about reasons for college<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re confident in your approach to college, you\u2019re ready to start building your list of alternative majors. Begin by writing down all the majors that interest you, even if they seem far-fetched. If you happen to come up with four or more good ideas just off the top of your head, you can move on to the next step. If not or if you want to be more thorough, it\u2019s time to open up another tab in your browser and start finding majors that fit your goals. My guide to brainstorming majors<\/a> lays out specific instructions for this type of research, including the exact wording you can use for better Google searches.<\/p>\n Besides the internet, you can find potential majors by talking to the people around you (e.g., classmates, friends). One common mistake is to immediately ask about the person\u2019s current major and why they chose it. The problem with that approach is that it puts the person into a defensive mindset, encouraging them to only provide you with information that makes their choice look smart. Instead, ask them to tell you about all the majors they considered and why each one appealed to them. If that doesn\u2019t work, try this question: If their current major was eliminated, what majors would they consider? Pay particular attention to the majors considered by anyone who has similar college goals as you.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t stop brainstorming until you have at least four good alternative majors on your list.<\/p>\nStep 4: Compare Alternatives<\/h2>\n