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| Editor's Note: Dear Deborah is a new column running every month in AMG. If you would like to submit a question to Deborah, email info@athenamagazineforgirls.com with "Dear Deborah" in the subject line. Not all questions can be answered, however, if your question is chosen, only your first name, age, and state will be published. Dear Deborah, I am going to college in the fall, and I don’t know what I want to major in. What should I do? All of my friends already have their majors picked out. ~ Tara, South Carolina Dear Tara: Fear Not!! College is a time for discovery. It’s a time to begin learning about yourself (i.e. who you are, what you are interested in doing, what are your strengths) as well as the world that operates around you (i.e. what types of opportunities exist, what needs change). While it's great that all of your friends know what they want to do with their lives before even entering college (and it's quite possible that some of them do) I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of your friends weren’t setting themselves up for a bit of disappointment (they may very well find out that they don't enjoy or aren’t very good at their chosen subject.) So, consider yourself lucky-- you have the world open to you. Having said that, the major you choose in college is the first stepping stone of your career. It is a decision that should be made in a timely and intelligent manner. Take your requirements seriously. Your school may have some required courses, especially in the first year. These requirements ensure that you aren’t just focusing on one particular subject matter and ignoring others. Take them seriously. You may not enjoy a particular class or professor, but ask yourself if you are enjoying the subject matter. Sign up for a variety of courses. Try out as many courses as you can. Some colleges have a week or two of course selection where you can sit in on a class. See if anything piques your interest. Also when you choose your courses, take a look at the advanced courses in the selection guide. If a particular class sounds interesting, try taking one of the requirements to that course. Talk to your professors, advisors, and other professionals about what types of majors feed into what types of jobs. You don’t want to end up with a major you feel was “useless” to you in your life goals nor do you want to have to go back to college later to fill in blanks. The more you can discover about what type of job you want in the future, the easier it will be to pick your major. One final thought: Rest assured that you are not the only one in this situation!! Just the fact that you took the time to write in with this question indicates you are on the right track! Keep it up and you'll be fine! Keep us posted! ~Deborah |
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