Since college can cost a fortune, you want to get your money's worth as a student. How would you feel if you spent $15,000 per year on tuition to graduate without a stable job lined up? You'd probably feel like college wasn't worth the time or money. Would you be surprised to hear that it was your choice of major that lead to you not finding a good job? Perhaps. Choosing a practical college degree could mean the difference between being piled up in student loan bills and sitting on top of a pile of cash.
Why Do Students Have a Hard Time Getting Hired After Graduating?
According to an article on rvanews.com, many students choose majors for the sole reason of having interest in the subject matter as opposed to making an informed decision to go with a major that may be hot in the job market. As a result, many of these students find themselves unemployed or working jobs that are not related to their majors whatsoever. Some college graduates even have trouble finding a temporary entry-level job to keep themselves afloat because, as a result of their college education, they are now over-qualified for many basic jobs, but under-qualified for those that require specific courses of study or graduate and professional degrees. Unfortunately, many universities fail to warn their students of the potential severe consequences of choosing the wrong major. On top of picking a major that only applies to a small niche in the job market, the struggling economy makes job seeking much harder for students than it normally is. Even students who have gone into healthcare fields such as nursing have had a very difficult time landing a job that they were told was in extremely high demand.
Some students go into certain fields because they are drawn to the earning potential. While there is nothing wrong with having money as your main motivator, you will probably find it hard to stay focused when you have no real interest in the area of study. This could lead to doing poorly in classes and not being able to complete the degree. Even if you end up landing a position in the field, going to work might be daily torture since there you had no passion for the career from the beginning. You might not be able to handle the job for long and decide to quit, then realize that you aren't qualified for any other jobs. Many in-demand jobs pay handsomely, but the coursework can be very difficult. The students who are in it solely for the money may not have the passion that is required to excel in school and on the job.
How Do I Decide That a Certain Major is Right For Me?
While the best advice for choosing a major is to pick the one that you have the most interest in, this isn't always the smartest choice. First, you should talk to a career counselor about which career fields are the most in demand. Then, try to choose a major that could potentially lead to one of those in-demand careers. Pick the one that interests you most out of the available options. There are many other factors that you should take into consideration when choosing a major including: earning potential, work environment, constant travel or no travel, impact on humanity, and more. Depending on your personal preferences, some of these things will be much more important than others.
In the end, it really comes down to what you really want to do with your life. Many people will find that they can sacrifice high pay for a career that makes them happy to go to work each day. Others want to earn as much as possible even if they lose leisure time, friends, and happiness in the process. Some people just want to do something that can change the lives of other people. Choose the major that will help you most with achieving your specific career goals.
About The Author
This article was written by Joseph Carpinelli on behalf of iSeeCars where you can choose from a variety of new and used cars that fit any budget, even a students.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Choosing a practical college degree is so important so you don’t end up in a ton of debt.
So true.