Let’s say you’re on the brink of graduating high school, or that you’re a recent graduate (or a not-so-recent graduate) who’s about to embark on post-diploma life. No matter which category you’re a part of, there’s a good chance you’ll consider going to a college or a university as a means to earn knowledge and expand your horizons. While this strategy isn’t the only available option, attending a higher education setting to earn an academic degree is one of the most common things a person can decide to do after their high school days.
If you decide to follow that path, that decision can lead to more decisions. Will you go out-of-state? Will you be an online student? What schools are you interested in? Can you get financial aid?
What will you major in? That one detail is a factor that can follow you even after you’re wading through your first semester of classes at the chosen university on financial aid since beginning your studies as an undecided student is an option.
But without deciding at a reasonable point what your major will be, earning your degree could be postponed if you’ll need more than the time remaining in your four-year stay to take all of the core classes. There’s also the possibility that the major you decide on won’t be available at the university you attend, and should you have to transfer, some of your general requirements might only transfer as electives—which could mean having to take more classes. Even if you do decide on a major in time to take all of the classes in four years at the right university, your journey from that point on could be so tunnel-focused, without room for electives and general requirements to break it up, that you burn out before you finish your degree. None of these are good options!
Knowing these possible pitfalls doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly realize what your major should be, and maybe the reason for your uncertainty is because you’re thinking too inside-of-the-box. Perhaps you’re so focused on the obvious choices that you haven’t dug deep enough to see past the psychology, chemistry, and mathematics majors to find a more unique choice that will fully catch your interest. If this is the case, you’re reading the right post! Here are some possibilities for your major that you might not have thought of, but could love to declare today!
Art. This one can get a bad reputation because the degree could be seen as practically useless by people. It’s important though to acknowledge that there are different kinds of art you can explore, and if you have a certain job in mind, a degree in one of these fields could be a good fit. Just because you love guitar, for instance, doesn’t mean you should major in guitar, but if you plan to live in an area where you can see a good life with that degree as a guitar teacher, a local musician, or a member of a nearby orchestra, then getting that degree could work.
This isn’t to say that it isn’t a gamble since it’s possible that the orchestra you want to play in won’t be looking for guitarists after you graduate, but if you love it enough to take the gamble, go for it! Guitar, of course, is a musical endeavor—still art—but there are more opportunities to choose from, like floral design, dance, sculpting, and puppetry. If you love art and can create a good, rational scenario in your head where you can make a needed living at it, don’t shy from exploring it at a university!
Art Therapy. Maybe you want to take your love of art a step further by combining it with a sincere desire to help other people. That option, believe it or not, is actually valid, and you can head in that direction by learning the trade of art therapy at a university or college.
Given how soothing and distracting art can be, it’s reasonable that the two are linked for this type of therapeutic endeavor, but the idea is still not quite so common as to automatically pop into your mind while you’re trying to decide on your college major. The reason for that lack of automatic thought could be because the concept is combining two different categories of learning—art and science. But a solid interest in art and an additional interest in psychology, blended with a want to do something that helps someone else, would make this possibility something worth considering!
History. Although history is a common enough idea that you probably already saw it on a list of offered majors, don’t brush it aside for that generality alone! There are several ways to make this one more specific, so don’t shut the door on the option just yet!
History is such a wide-reaching field, making room for plenty of concentrations if you’re listed as a history student. Not only could you decide that you specifically want to study the American West or the history of science, but you could also choose how you want to study those things, should the school and degree allow for it. Do you want to focus on military history? How about ancient works of literature or a cultural perspective? This is one of the beauties of history. You can earn a degree in Egyptology or head westward to study Billy the Kid. Don’t write this one off without giving it thought!
Fitness. There are actually a number of ways this academic pursuit can be taken on, though the idea of going after this sort of degree could be overlooked by someone browsing potential college majors. But to put it simply, it shouldn’t be overlooked! Fitness is a topic of significant interest in the world right now, and striving to equip yourself to take part in that interest could lead to a lucrative career once you graduate.
Specifically, you can focus on food or the physical aspects that go along with fitness. Even then, you could still have room to maneuver to find a program that’s connected to what you want to do by choosing things like athletic training, health education, nutrition, and exercise science. Decide what you want to do with your degree, and find the perfect fitness fit!
Entrepreneurship. This is, again, a degree that you might have generally considered without taking note of the series of opportunities it can lead to. That doesn’t necessarily mean that if you want to start a certain type of business that there’s a university ready to train you to build that specific company, but it does mean you’ll learn general business ideas that can be applied to so many avenues.
If you want to start a business for a field you already know like the back of your hand, this is a great way to get the experience and credentials to prove you’re ready for it and can successfully handle the running of the actual business aspects. Whether that business is an ice cream shop, quilt supplies store, or photography studio, learning the ins and outs of entrepreneurship can help you keep it going for a long, long time!
Stage Management. Ever heard of this one? Well, it’s a real thing, and it’s a great way to prepare for a career that deals with art without having to be on-stage or on-camera. It’s a logical option then for someone who’s interested in performances, but more so from the technical side of things.
One solid mark in this degree’s favor over studying a specific field of art is that you aren’t limited to just one kind of art. Theater actors, rock bands, ballet dancers, and magicians all perform on stages, so there’s a variation of possibilities. Still though, it’s worth exploring where you’ll live after graduation to see how helpful a degree like this would be. If there are few to no stage-based performances happening there, you might want to choose something that’s more likely to get you a degree-based career!
If none of these have caught your interest, keep looking through your own exploration online. There are plenty of majors that you might’ve never considered because you didn’t know that they exist, but so long as you can sensibly see yourself making a living at one of them in a good way, it’s an option to consider!
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