Trying to select the right major choice in college can seem to be a bit overwhelming. After all, you’re looking to establish career goals, and some paths will allow you to choose between several options. Keep in mind that there are more than just the traditional major options out there, there are also some benefits to some of those as well. As the world starts to shift and career demands change, the majors below are some of the most in-demand and rewarding majors that can give you a variety of career options. You can use them in your current position, use them as a foundation for graduate school, or even help you reach that dream career.
Education
One of the most rewarding careers that you can tackle for a major choice is education. As an education major, you have the options to choose from a variety of ages, ranging from pre-kindergarten, through elementary, middle, and high school levels. Some of these majors are even more specific and focus on special education, physical education, and working with curriculum. Your career in this industry can prepare you to further your education later if you choose.
As an education major, you can opt to teach in the public school setting in your district or opt for a private school. Some states will need teachers for online virtual programs, and this degree can assist you with working after-school hours as a tutor. Keep in mind that wherever you start with your position, education allows you to move out of the classroom later if you choose, and into a more administrative role. The basic degree will get you in the classroom with the grade of students that you prefer and your preferred content, but you can take that degree and shift it into something else later if you want. You could find yourself at the best private school in the area, or one of the more desired private preschools in some of the larger cities.
Pre-Law
If you think that at some point you might want to be a civil attorney, then it’s time to adjust that major to pre-law. There are lots of different types of attorneys that are needed. However, most of them will need a basis in pre-law before they move forward with graduate school. During your undergrad, you can major in prelaw and minor in areas like politics or local government, in case probate attorneys are on your shortlist for niche options in your career.
Once you get into graduate school to get your law degree, you’ll find out if you prefer criminal law, real estate law, family, or even corporate law. This last one will probably need you to move to a larger city if you are somewhere rural, but some of the others are great for those who want to stay around home, do estate planning, and be a small-time attorney in the area. You can diversify your legal needs, and as you take on more cases, in different areas, you could find something that you’re truly passionate about and represent your clients appropriately.
Business
There is always going to be a need for business, which is why this is one of the most popular major choice options out there. You can take a major in business, and use that to expand on an industry that you’re passionate about, like being a business owner of a boutique, a restaurant owner, or starting your own daycare. Any type of business that is created needs to have a background in business and an understanding of how to do operational tasks and manage the books. This is vital information for a business success.
Some colleges will offer concentrations or specializations in this major choice, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to focus on human resources, entrepreneurial management, or even international management. There are some that are more supply chain and manufacturing related, which is great for those who know who they want to work for, and want this degree specifically for a job they desire to have. Even if you don’t have a specific job in mind though, a business degree can be beneficial for you.
Engineering
If you think that engineering might be right for you, then you have several to choose from. Engineering can start with a degree as low as an associate’s as a major choice, and you can transfer to a four-year university later. You can choose civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and even biomedical engineering. They all have different skill sets, so you should think about what you want to spend your day doing. If you’re wanting to improve the use of crane services for large construction projects, then mechanical engineering would be right for you. Some engineering will focus on baseball training equipment and designing smaller things that are used more frequently.
Engineering is a major choice that can take you from some entry-level positions you may have need of in the industry, to more administrative processes. If you start with an associate’s degree, you will be in more of the labor-heavy roles, until you advance your degree or get several years of experience. As your degrees grow and you get more education, you could find yourself reviewing plans and having more of a supervisory role over the labor that is happening.
Pre-Med
If you have medical school on your short list of where you want to go, then your undergraduate major choice should be pre-med or a degree closely related to it. This will help you get familiar with the human body, the way that it works, and how the different systems react to environmental factors. Keep in mind that pre-med means you’ll have to spend a lot of time taking science courses like chemistry and biology, which will also require a lot of math. However, it will prepare you for graduate school and working in careers that could include bone graft companies.
With this degree, you’ll want to be competitive academically, because pre-med majors are often applying to the same programs for graduate school. Keep in mind that there are a lot fewer positions offered in these programs, so they will be looking to see how you stand out and what type of volunteer work you’ve done to improve your chances for this. Make sure you stay ahead of the competition and keep your grades up for this. If you know there are certain courses that a program wants you to take in your undergrad, but these courses aren’t a part of your current program, you need to talk to your advisor about taking them and having them count as electives, if necessary.
Interior Design
A great major choice that will keep you on your feet and keep you busy all year is interior design. You can opt for this for commercial properties, or residential properties, whichever works for you. Interior designers are supposed to take the layout of a property and use the space they have to make it the most warm, comfortable, and inviting space. The goal is to make the area a comfortable space and make it welcoming. This is true for homes and businesses.
This career is a part of the arts, and it will require you to understand color patterns and themes for different areas. Depending on where you live and the clients you take, things like a bathroom remodel will require you to network and work with other contractors to improve the space. You’ll get to connect with a lot of industries and build wholesale relationships from furniture stores, and specialty lighting stores.
Aviation Industry
More and more students are looking to major in the aviation industry, where they can fly airplanes, or even learn how to fly airplanes. With the demand for flying and airplanes continuing to grow over the country, there is a need to have the right mechanics and engineers in place for these jobs. It’s also important to have great service in the plane with the passengers, which is where flight attendants come in and are successful following these different programs from this industry.
Computer Science
Probably one of the largest industries that has grown in the last two decades is computer science and it is a great major choice. This major alone can be broken down into different areas, and depending on how much education and certifications you gain along the way, you can take your career on any career path you choose with this initial degree. Computer science will allow you to break off into programming or software development, where there are a lot of jobs available and great careers that pay a lot of money each year.
Computer science can also branch into cybersecurity and information technology. These areas come down to managing different databases and systems that are used in businesses and organizations. You can get a career working in a single agency as an IT person, or you have the opportunity to break this career up as a contractor or work with a private agency that manages several businesses all at once. There are benefits of a flexible work schedule, great pay, and working from home. The cons in these positions is that you may have to work around the clock, especially if there is something going wrong at your business.
Other areas you can venture into with a computer science degree are web design and building apps for mobile devices. So many people have a smartphone or tablet with them at all times, and they run their lives off of different apps each day. Working with a company or different agencies that build apps for different methods needs someone to keep them designed and updated to match changes that are happening with mobile devices at all times.
Health Sciences
Whether you want to be a nursing home administrator, or nurse, or take a different career in public health, a great major choice is health sciences, where you can get the foundations of working in healthcare and working with the public. Many of these jobs tend to be more administrative, and outside of nursing, they focus a lot on policy and different changes that can happen in the industry. This is why you should have a clear path of what you want to do before you move into this major, and you can use it as a foundation for graduate-level college later. Keep in mind that there aren’t a lot of privacy-focused topics in this industry.
Psychology
Another great major choice that is gaining traction across the country is the psychology major. While it used to be thought you would only be a psychologist after graduate school with this degree, this is no longer the case. There are positions out there like behavior analysts, psychological program directors, therapists, psychology professor that you can aspire to be. If your goal is to be a psychologist, however, you have several areas that you can branch off into, and make a great career. You can focus on being a military psychologist for veterans, sports psychologist for athletes, and even work with inmates as a correctional psychologist. This major offers a variety of career options to consider, so it should not be ignored if you’re looking for an area of study and are interested in learning more about how we work.
These aren’t the only majors that are offered at most colleges, but there are some with high demand and jobs that will be there following your graduation. Review the different options and consider what it is you want to do in your career. If you want something to help you now, and maybe make a pivot later, that is something to consider. You can always add minors or specializations to some of these majors if they’re offered as a way to make you more exclusive to hiring committees and graduate schools. You can find these programs at some of your local state and private schools, as well as online if you need something to be more flexible.