Let’s talk about what goes into choosing your major! Many of you likely have an idea of what you want to do, but still have no clue what to major in. Remember, it is perfectly okay to not have everything all figured out right here, right now.

Start by thinking about what most of your time is consumed with. Maybe you love fitness and food, maybe you are into fashion and pop culture, or even maybe even some true crime. The more you realize how much you love doing things that make you happy, the easier it will be for you to associate that happiness with a future. You should also consider what you want to get out of your job, what kind of an impact you hope to make with your future, and maybe even establish some lifetime dreams and goals.

Then, I encourage you to research careers that associate with the things you love. Look into different types of jobs and make note of the ones that even remotely interest you. You might find that specific aspects of certain jobs really interest you, so try branching out to jobs with similar applications to make your search more specific. Now you can officially begin looking into the best major for the careers you have listed, look into what they require, look into the best-ranked programs to study at, and also make sure you have more than one major written down. Often times colleges call certain majors different things or offer a similar alternative so have a basic understanding of what you’d be studying within that major too!

Then, make all the Pinterest boards, watch all the Youtube videos, and stalk TikTok for some Gen Z inspiration. Sometimes you will know what field of work you hope to pursue but picking that perfect major will take time. Seeing or hearing someone else’s story often helps us figure out how to move forward with our own.

Finally, I will encourage you to get involved with an activity that correlates with a career path you researched. I personally always knew I wanted to work with the special needs community, and the opportunity to serve at RAD Camp over the summer solidified that dream for me. It allowed me to experience what a career in Occupational Therapy would be like as well as giving me a great opportunity to add to my resume! Try internships, volunteer work, summer programs, or even try getting a new job. Taking a risk and openly throwing yourself into something new might just make you realize something about yourself you never noticed before.

Now, if you still don’t know, there is nothing wrong with having your major be undeclared. Sometimes we all need a little bit more time to decide what we want to do, I mean it is our future we are talking about here. I wish the rest of the senior class as well as the rising senior tigers the best of luck in their application endeavors!