Set the scene. The aggravating inquisitions begin around your junior year of high school. With the SAT and ACT and all of your classmates stressing about getting the grades to get into that college, the questions start. You go to your grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, and suddenly everyone wants to know what colleges you’re thinking about applying to and where you’ve visited. Soon enough they’re wondering where you’ve been accepted, where you’re considering going, and are you really considering moving that far away?
Fast-forward and you’re in your first year of college, and yet the constant barrage of questions still isn’t over. The dreaded “What’s your major going to be?” which escalates into “Where are you interning this summer? Who are you going to work for after you graduate? Are you going to attend grad school? When are you getting married? How many kids are you going to have? What’s the name of the third dog you’ll have when you’re 42 and living in Rhode Island?"
Well, maybe not that much detail. (But if your family is anything like mine… .)
All in all, it is just a little frustrating when everyone wants to know your future plans and you don’t even know what you’re eating for breakfast tomorrow.
So to escape these interrogations, you have two options: 1) run away to Canada, or 2) figure out what you actually want to do.
Of course, this starts with your choice of major. Even if you figure just this one thing out, you’ll be the king of Thanksgiving dinner conversation. You will, in fact, have won (take that, Aunt Jean!).
To win the game of life (not the board game—though these ideas might help you win that too), you’ll have to distinguish which options of majors and careers are right for you, which can easily be accomplished through the following steps.
1. Figure out your likes and dislikes.
This will help you narrow down career options because you don’t want to be stuck doing something you hate. So, for example, if you enjoy looking at yourself in the mirror, major in modeling because that’s definitely a thing. If you love Chik-fil-A, well, congratulations, so does the rest of the entire world (seriously, I have never met a person that doesn’t absolutely love Chik-fil-A). If you really hate kids, maybe put elementary teacher as option two or three, but definitely not one.
2. Take a couple of those personality tests.
A sample question: “Are you a people person?" Options: "Yes, I’d love to be around people all the time" or "No, leave me in a box on a deserted island.” Those are the only choices. You can only be one. You can only pick one. From this, you will determine your career. I bet you feel more secure about your future already.
3. Ask yourself, “What would I do if money didn’t matter?"
Does it really matter? Does anything in life really matter? After all, aren’t we all just floating on some rock in the sky?
But also, like, money is life—because I buy all my friends, so I kind of need some of that cash dolla bills.
4. Think about what classes you enjoyed most in high school and college.
You can only pick from these four options: English, math, history, or science.
(Unfortunately, you cannot major in lunch. Believe me, I’ve tried.)
5. Explore the majors offered at your university and the associated careers.
Then roll some dice.
If that proves too difficult to do, just get famous. It has to be pretty easy with all of the people that achieve it nowadays. Record yourself doing something dumb and it’ll go viral within minutes. Fifteen minutes of fame? More like 15 lifetimes—am I right or am I right?
6. If you feel up to it, hit up a major or career fair.
Wear a monkey suit. It’ll spark interest with recruiters, and we all know there isn’t a such thing as negative attention. Also try to bring up how "wasted" you got this past weekend so they'll think you’re super cool.
In all honesty, what major you choose doesn’t really matter in the end—you can choose a wide variety of careers from almost any major. However, you might run into a bit of trouble trying to pursue a career in the medical field with a degree in the arts. Although this is America (cue an old fat guy with a rifle in each hand screaming “’Murica!”).
But really, it’s OK if you don’t know what to do. Whether you’re 15, 20, or 45, you will find something you love eventually. Actually, you’ll probably find a multitude of things that you enjoy, so for now, try not to stress about it and instead focus on living your life. Or just go to Taco Bell and try not to catch any diseases. Both are equally challenging, but totally necessary.