Blog #8: Declaring a Major
By: Reem Nijem
Hello everyone! My name is Reem, and I am still an Undeclared major. Growing up, the one question I always dreaded answering is “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I’ve joined countless clubs, volunteered, and broadened my horizons with varying jobs, ranging from child development to the medical field.
Still, I have not found my calling. I don’t know if it is my approach that is preventing me from choosing a major or if there really isn’t anything that excites me. I don’t want to settle for a job that I end up hating after a couple of years of working, so choosing the right major is a big decision for me. I’m afraid that if this continues, I might be the first person to graduate as an Undeclared major.
My question to declared majors is how did you decide what you wanted to study or your future occupation? Do you have any advice for fellow undeclared majors on how to find the right major, especially in these struggling times? To anyone who is currently undecided, how do you plan on choosing your major?
Reem, awesome topic. It's tough giving advice in this area. Everyone enters college with varying levels of 'direction' in life; some have a career locked in and lined up, while others have no clue.
ReplyDeleteMy best advice is to 1) Pursue an area that you are naturally talented in, or that interests you so that you will be motivated to grow in that field 2) Choose a field that is in-demand and pandemic-proof! It's always good to be practical 3) Finally, take an online assessment for additional insight. These things can be somewhat cheesy but my students at FDU always say it was helpful in learning more about themselves, their interests, learning styles, strengths, weaknesses, etc. The following link provides feedback ranging from love, family, and learning to best careers to enter, what positions you will thrive in, etc. based on your personality type.
https://www.16personalities.com/
Good luck!
My entire life I knew I wanted to be in the medical field whether it was majoring in nursing or majoring in science. My mom was a nurse so I was always inspired by her and I loved her work environment. For those who are not in the same circumstances as me my advice is to not limit yourself. Some people only look for high paying jobs but then end up miserable because theyre not happy with what theyre doing. You live one life and spending majority of it dreading to go to work seems pointless to me. As mentioned by Alyssa, if you have talents and hobbie that make you happy, find careers that include those special hobbies/talents. If you believe you do not have specicla talents or hobbies, this could be the time to start volunteering or reading to find new interests. Another piece of advice, there are no rules to life. Take your time figuring yourself out! Do not stress yourself out and compare yourself to others. We are all on different journeys in life so trust the process and understand that to every problem there is a solution no matter what it may seem like. Best of luck!
ReplyDeletePicking my major was a tough decision for me; many days, I've spent time thinking about how I wanted my future to look. Although I have chosen a major, I'm not sure that I'll be sticking with it. I have a good idea of what I will be switching to, but it's still hard because picking a major is very difficult and can be a lot of pressure. My advice to you is to keep looking and don't give up; keep going to clubs and participating, and you'll never know maybe you'll find a field you're passionate about, and it'll come up when you least expect it. Trust the process and good luck with everything!.
ReplyDeleteMy Struggles
ReplyDeleteI could definitely relate to your struggles when it comes to finding a calling, even though I chose a major for myself. (Animation/Illustration) When I first began deciding on what to major in, I was torn between what my hobbies are and what I’d want to pursue as a career. (Since I have tons of hobbies, but when it came to monetizing them and really focusing on one thing, I was hesitant.) For me personally, I also choose to minor in Film just so I can explore another one of my interests in depth because like you, i love to try just about everything. (But again, Even though I decided on a major and minor, I'm still not sure if it’s really what I want to do with my life.) Although I'll never really know until I get a job in that specific field and that’s okay.
My Advice
I saw this Tik Tok awhile ago that mentioned that your decided career doesn’t have to be your ultimate passion or goal in life. You can find a job that you are happy doing and have hobbies or fun outside of work instead of placing all of your happiness into whatever job you end up with in the future. (because in reality, I don't know who would dream of working a 9 to 5 their whole lives anyways) I feel as if society puts pressure on teens to find their “true calling”, but it’s okay not to have one. Like it said earlier, life is really what you make it and I know tons of people who have a fulfilled life without finding a job that they’d call their true calling. I’d say to just have fun and keep trying new things and again it’s perfectly fine to not have a true passion. I also want to add that, even though you feel alone, just remember that tons of college kids are going through the same thing you are! Including myself, who may seem like they know what I'm doing. (but really nobody truly does)
Emily Smolock
HOW I'M DECIDING:
ReplyDeleteI have declared my major as Animation/Illustration but I’m still questioning if it's the right major for me everyday to be honest. I knew I definitely wanted my major to be something art related, so I chose one of the most broad majors in the art field. Since Animation/Illustration covers a little bit of every art form. This allows me to “test the waters” and see which specific field in the art world would suit me best. Although I am also prepared for the fact that even though I love art, maybe I would excel in a totally different field. Since much like you, i like to try everything so i know for sure I’m pursuing something i love. So I've signed up to take film as a minor next year. In all honesty, I’m not too concerned with finding the perfect major for me, as long as I’m happy doing what I’m doing.
MY ADVICE:
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find your grand passion right now. Dabble and experiment in what you want because college is not an end all be all. I personally have put a lot of stress and pressure on myself before entering college to find what i truly want to do with my life, and this song has helped me a lot so i thought I’d share it with you...
“It’s alright to not have any dreams, the air you breath out is already Paradise.”
Bts: “Paradise”
Hope this helps! Best wishes!
-Sara Smolock
My declared Major is Visual Arts but I cannot tell you what I want to be just yet because I simply don't know. I enjoy creating and expressing myself but I am not just focused in one direction. There are many things I am good at but I felt that art was something I could pursue more. I can say that I don't know what I will choose to do the rest of my life, it could be different, but I don't know. What I do know is that I feel like a better version of myself learning and doing the things i'm interested in. My advice is to do the things you love and make you feel happy, and that doesn't have to be just one thing. For some, the decision is easy, but for others- it takes time and that is perfectly okay. Don't give up the search, and good luck! You are more than you think :)
ReplyDelete-Julia Brubaker
My major is Visual Arts, and honestly, it was a very easy choice to make. I was lucky enough to take classes that were labeled as "visual arts" in high school (such as Ceramics, Graphic Design, etc.), and once I saw that Montclair had that very same major, I knew I wanted to go into that field right away. As an artist, I have a ton of different passions and use a ton of different mediums, so the fact that Visual Arts covers a wide range of art practices is perfect for me.
ReplyDeleteBut, I know you're looking for advice, so enough about me, haha. I totally get how difficult it can be to just.. make a decision. Trust me; I'm so incredibly indecisive. And sometimes, I even have to ask those around me for help deciding something. But honestly.. You don't have to rush yourself to make such a heavy decision. Simply deciding to go to college is already a hefty choice. I know others have probably said this already, but I think taking your time and figuring things out step by step is the way to go. If you make the wrong decision, no sweat!! Just keep going, don't give up, figure out what makes you truly happy. Maybe explore different types of classes! Good luck. :)
Sending love!!
– Antonia Sussina.
I chose my Major, Product Design, because it combined two of my interests: drawing and building. Even though I have chosen a major, once in a while I question if it's truly what I want to do. I have changed what profession I wanted multiple times over the course of my life. I went from wanting to go into animation, to interning at an advertising agency, to a paid internship at an architectural firm, and then finally majoring in Product Design.
ReplyDeleteFor advice, all I have to say is look for the parts that you enjoyed from your past experiences. You will most likely see a pattern in your interests that you can use to narrow down your options. From all of my experience I have found that I enjoy working at places that allow me to problem solve and make things. There may not be a perfect job out there, but there should definitely be one that has most, if not all, of your interests integrated into what they do.
-Devin Boone
My major is Jurisprudence and Political Science. The way that I chose my major was by a t.v show actually, because for the longest time I was preparing myself to major in psychology because I wanted to be a therapist, but right before I started applying to college I watched drop dead diva, and pretty much became fascinated in becoming a lawyer. I began researching and looking into what lawyers do and started falling in love with it, and decided to follow a path working towards the legal field.
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to look at what you enjoy, and what you think you will enjoy doing in the future. If you can imagine yourself doing this for the next 30 years you should go for it. But do not rush yourself to pick a major because it might make you unhappy.
Deciding what major I wanted to be declared in was a tough decision. The one thing that I knew when picking my major was that it had to have art involved. Art was a big part of my life growing up. It was something that I was always interested in. So, when it came to a point declaring a major I just had to figure out what branch of art I wanted to learn about. When conducting research I learned about graphic design. Learning about graphic design I knew that it was the career that I wanted to pursue. The thing about graphic design is that the field is very competitive and it's gonna be hard making a decent living. I’m still trying to decide if I should minor in something in order to have a backup plan. But, art is something that I’m truly passionate about and like everything else in the world I know it's not going to be easy at first. It's just something that I have to be patient for.
ReplyDeleteMy advice when it comes to declaring a major is to make sure you do something you love. They say if you do something you love then it never feels like a job. Take your time and ask yourself is this something that I want to do for the rest of my life.
In my opinion, it’s tough to pick a major if you don’t know what you’re going to do for a living. I want to create cartoons, so I had my major switch to animation as soon as possible to get ready and practice for my upcoming career. I think you should decide very early on what you want to do with the rest of your life To work towards your goal. For picking your calling, I suggest looking deep inside yourself and find what makes you the happiest, and see if you could do that for a living.
ReplyDelete-Anthony Villanella
Personally, declaring my major was a emotionally strenuous journey that had me, at moments, questioning the strength of all my capabilities. Being in the STEM Academy, within my high school, I always had a passion for science based education and wanted to use that in my career in the future. My dream career at the time was nursing as I loved the idea of helping people. My relationship with the main teacher who taught the majority of the classes that I attended shifted towards my junior year which left me with the impression that I could never fulfill the aspects of being a nurse. When I came across the curriculum of public health and the aspects behind it, I knew that I could successfully conquer the major. My advice is to not let others confine you from your aspirations and allow happiness to be the main factor in your choosing.
ReplyDeleteI like how you turned your blog as something beneficial to you. I am a Jurisprudence Law major and for me, I was automatically interested in law and becoming a lawyer from the show Pretty Little Liars. I saw one of the character's mom was a lawyer and it caught my attention at a young age. I feel like you will know what's right for you, but don't worry too much, it will come:)
ReplyDeleteFor me, I saw my major as a pathway tot he next for me to reach my future occupation. Throughout high school, i really never had thought about the major I wanted to apply for. I was always good a physics, that I thought maybe that's the route I want to take to reach my dream. But after I started applying to colleges, and seeing what the medical school scene looks like, I knew it wouldn't be the best option to go a major in physics, as I believed it would side track me from doing what I need to to get to med school. I did my research and I saw that biology as a major sets the best track for people that want to go to med school. It had all the prerequisites that a college student needed to be eligible to apply.
ReplyDelete