career/major helpAnswered
hi!
this is kinda a stupid question but if anyone has any recommendations on free career/major quizzes or has a story about picking their major/career or smtg that would be insanely helpful. i’m kinda losing it because i have a couple things i sorta want to do but none of it feels perfect.
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4 answers
Hi @lizzieeeeee!
I created a post specifically about this! Read this: collegevine.com/questions/50362/choosing-the-perfect-major-please-comment
A career quiz I personally used was BigFuture. It took what I liked and didn't like then suggested related things. But like @howdidIgethere said, no one can tell you where to go and what to do, though it can help to see some examples of available options.
I had to decide between several things, too. I loved the idea of teaching BUT I had also gotten into horticulture. However, the more I explored horticulture, the more it appealed to me. I also realized that I wanted to homeschool my children, which means I will end up teaching anyway, so why go to school to teach? It could be helpful, but I didn't want to be teaching the rest of my life.
If you have any questions, please let me know! Feel free to share the thoughts running through your head and maybe I can give some advice :)
I actually went back and forth between a few majors before deciding on information technology. I love playing games and I wish I could create more good games, but then I realized I'm more passionate about marketing. It wasn't perfect, but talking to people in both fields really helped me solidify my choice.
Far from a stupid question. I went to school of electrical engineering, graduated and fixed and programmed industrial lasers. I did that for a 3 years. Went back to school doubled majored in chemistry/environmental science. I was a chemist then an environmental engineer for maybe 4 years. Then got a certification in computer networking and worked at a company for 22 years and now I’m in tolling/transportation until I retire. The best advice I can give is follow your heart and it’s ok to change your passions as you get older or experience different things. Don’t drive yourself insane, try something you like and go from there. What you pick now may not be where you finally land and that’s OK. Life does not have a handbook, the same as picking a major or career. It’s a great journey with ups and downs. If I could go back in time 30 years and speak to myself I was tell me things are never as good or bad as they seem. Stop stressing, there are plenty of paths and you can be successful and happy with whatever you choose. Same for you.
No one can make the decision on what you are going to major in but you; however, I can try to provide some tips that worked for me!
I’ve always somewhat known that I was going to major in psychology/ neuroscience. I knew this because I’ve always been fascinated by the brain and by mental illness (symptoms, how to tell them apart, how they develop etc). That is my first piece of advice to you! Think about something that you’ve always have been naturally interested in/have as a hobby, and see if you might want to pursue a degree in this!
My second piece of advice would be to look into careers you might possibly want to have and see what degree would be needed for them. Sometimes working backwards like this could make what you want to major in a bit clearer
For my last piece of advice, I noticed you said you had a couple things you wanted to do, but none of it felt perfect. Well, what if you tried combining some of these things with each other or even with your hobbies? For example, if you are interested in writing and love true crime, how about a career in investigative/crime journalism? If you’ve thought about being a doctor, but you’ve always had a love for art, how about being a medical illustrator?
I hope something I said helped you, and I wish you all the luck on finding the perfect major for you!
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While not a career test, I highly recommend taking the 16 personality test. It's free to take and gives you a (in my opinion, accurate) personality based on your answers as well as a description of said personality. The description includes some suggestions on what to look for when considering possible careers, such as working with people or doing a job that doesn't require you to work in a team often.