Choosing a Major

 I wanted to address what to think about when choosing a major. I honestly don’t it’s as huge of a decision as people make it out to be. A lot of people feel that when picking a major you should aim for a serious and practical one.  That’s okay if you’re a serious and practical person, but If going that route means disregarding what you’re really passionate about then you’re probably wasting your time.  When studying a particular major it isn’t necessarily just about getting a high paying job. It’s for developing your talents so you can do anything you’d like once you graduate. Choosing the correct major isn’t a life or death decision. What you get your degree in isn’t going to box you into certain jobs.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics have said that people can expect to change jobs 4 times during their twenties. Also, There’s a 70% chance that your first job will relate to your major but after that many people progress in their careers to jobs that seem to have little to do with it.  This is mainly important for people who have a passion and desire to go for something more unconventional. There are always those majors where some people may say, “hey, there’s no jobs for that degree” or “you should pick something that’s safer.”  Picking something that doesn’t truly interest you but satisfies those practical ideas is a disaster in the making. If you think about it, take two people, one with enthusiasm for what they’re doing, energy, and passion and someone else who is studying something which could be considered secure but they have absolutely no passion for it. Which do you think will do better? The person studying something they aren’t interested in is going to burn out and lose all the momentum they need to be successful.  The whole “follow your heart” concept can be seen as cliché. I have to admit that even I found myself a little apprehensive about it, but it’s shown to be accurate. Probably the most important quality to have if you’re going to go for what you truly love is just extreme drive. This was shown in a study done at the University of Chicago.  120 outstanding athletes, artists, and scholars were observed. The final conclusion was that intelligence, confidence, background, etc. wasn’t the number one thing responsible for these peoples’ success. It was that all these people had extraordinary drive. Considering that, you really have no choice but to go for what you love in order to be successful. Good luck trying to build up drive for something you couldn’t care less about. Ultimately, it will always be those who choose to develop a career out of their passions that will do the best