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How to Align Your Major with Your Passions & Goals
Picking a major is one of the most important decisions you make at university. There are many ways to approach it, but one of the best is to make sure your major aligns with your passions and goals. Here are some more tips to guide you.
1. Choose Diverse Classes
University gives you the chance to study subjects you may never have encountered before. It may be difficult to know how much you’ll enjoy these subjects until you’ve taken a class. When you start university, it’s worth signing up for a wide variety of classes. This will show you how much each subject resonates with you and how challenging you’re likely to find a particular major. If you find that one of the subjects matches your interests better than the major you’ve already declared, it will still be easy to switch majors because you’ll only just have started your time at university.
2. Talk to a Career Counsellor
Head to the career center on campus to talk to a counselor. There may be options you hadn’t considered that would help you reach your goals, such as majors you didn’t realize were relevant or the possibility of declaring a minor to cover all your bases.
3. Ask a Professor
Another source of advice is your professors. If you’re enjoying a class but have concerns about switching majors, the professor is the perfect person to talk to about coursework and other considerations. Your professors will also be able to tell you about opportunities in the field you may be unaware of.
4. Connect with Other Students
Other students can tell you firsthand about what it’s like to study a particular major. Talk to your classmates, roommates, and other people you meet to learn more. In addition, it’s worth joining clubs related to your passions. Find out what the other members are majoring in for inspiration.
5. Apply for Internships
Students typically apply for internships late in their time at university. However, there’s no need to wait — in fact, taking internships earlier is a great way to explore what a particular career would be like. Once you’ve discovered what kind of work you enjoy most, choose a major that will lead you there.
An alternative option is to job shadow. This is more suitable if you want to explore a few different fields but don’t want to dedicate an entire summer to an internship. Find opportunities by reaching out to professionals on LinkedIn.
6. Be Open Minded
Matching your major with your passions may mean choosing something you find difficult. Instead of worrying about failure, give it a shot. If you find the coursework interesting, you should be motivated enough to push through the challenging assignments.
7. Take a Career Assessment Test
A career assessment test considers your passions and goals as well as your values and strengths to show you the best potential careers for you. Find out if your school gives career assessment tests on campus.
You may decide it’s worthwhile to declare a difficult major because it will align with your passions and goals. This will mean you need to study extra hard to succeed. It’s crucial to have somewhere at home where you can go to focus in peace — which you won’t find living on campus. For apartments near uOttawa, there’s 417 Nelson. You’ll have a desk in a fully-furnished bedroom and high-speed internet access throughout the building, including in the multiple study lounges. Contact us to start the application process.