Going to college can be a tough path and can make the pather even rougher is when you have no idea what you want to do when you go to college.  While this may sound rare to you, most college students have no idea what they want to do in their first year of college.  In fact, many students change their major in their first year.  Here are some tips you can take to figure out what college major might work for you –

Do your research – No matter what college you go to, chances are that they will have a big catalog of all of the careers they have to offer.  Simply browse through all of these careers and see which one appeal to you.  The best thing to do is write down these careers and do more research online or meet with a counselor to explore more details.

Look at your high school past – Look back at all of the classes you took in high school and see what classes you really enjoyed and did well in.  Chances are there will be a career focused around that class.  If you loved to write, you could possible go after a journalism career.  If you loved art, you could possibly go into graphic arts.  There are thousands of career options out there, it’s your job to explore them all.

Do volunteer work – If you think you know what you want to do, look up some local companies in your area that are willing to bring you on as an intern.  This way, you can get the feel of the job.  If you want to go into computer programming, ask if you can come in for a week or so and see how the company works.  99% of the time, the company will let you look at everyday work routines.  This is a great way to see if this would be the career for you.

Pick an expanding career – When you’re brainstorming your careers, make sure you pick out a career that can be expanded in the future.  For example, if you want to go into marketing, make sure you pick a popular career and not a niche career that has a limited amount of openings. 

View stats, income, etc – One thing you have to remember when you’re looking for a college major are the stats.  You defintely don’t want to jump into a career that won’t be there in ten years.  The best advice is to choose a career that will be booming in ten years.  Also make sure that you look at base salary, etc.  One of the main reasons most students go to college is because of the future pay.  You won’t want to spend $40,000 in loans to only make $25,000 a year.

Picking a college major is a lot of work and shouldn’t be done overnight.  Remember, you’re going to commit four plus years to this career.  Make sure that you will like this career before you start taking your classes.  Work should be fun and not a chore.  If you hate going to work, I highly recommend you find a new career.  There’s a career out there for everyone!