Exploring Majors

Not sure what you want to study? Trying to figure out a career path that best fits YOUR strengths, values, and interests? The strategies below can take your search to the next level.

1. Learn More about yourself

• Think about your favorite classes. What did you enjoy about those classes? Did they cover subject matter you liked? Were they offered in a style that appealed to you?
• Reflect about different experiences you’ve had. What did you like about that part-time job? Did you belong to any school or community organizations? Did you volunteer anywhere? What motivated you to participate in these activities?
• Consider what’s important to you – such as what world problems you’d like to solve or how you most enjoy spending your time. What makes these things important?
• Talk to people who you trust and know you well. What strengths do they see in you? How could those strengths be linked to possible career paths?

2. Gather information

• Do a career assessment to explore what makes you tick. See what possibilities emerge based answering questions about yourself. After you complete any assessment, review your results. What possibilities resonate with you?
  • You can start with some free assessments at MNSU’s Career Development Center.
    • Career Assessment: learn about yourself, discovering your interests, identifying your skills and values, and figuring out how they relate to the world of work with these assessments. 
    • FOCUS assessment: evaluate your career relevant personal qualities and explore career fields and major areas of study that are most compatible with your assessment results 
• Check out the Career Development Center’s Choosing & Changing Majors handbook – for some great strategies to explore your options. 
•   Review MNSU’s undergraduate catalog to learn more about majors offered.  
  • Cross off all majors that do NOT appeal to you
  • Dive deeper into majors that are unfamiliar to you and majors that really grab your interest. 
  • Consider the list of courses required under unfamiliar majors and/or majrs that interest you. Do the course titles and descriptions sounds interesting? Cross off majors that no longer appeal to you.
• Once you’ve narrowed down your list of major possibilities, go to MNSU’s “What Can I Do with this Major” website and start reading about career opportunities. Look at information from the Occupational Outlook Handbook – it includes valuable descriptions of what these professions do, what the work environments are like, and how to pursue a career in these professions.  

• Are you interested in a particular career but want to do more than read about it? Consider an informational interview. This is where you connect with a professional in the field of interest. Schedule a meeting with the professional and come prepared with a list of questions about they do, what they like about their job, and what they don’t like. 

3. Make some decisions

• Summarize the information you've reviewed and collected. Share your research with a trusted friend or family member.
• Narrow down your top three or four majors or careers and weigh the pros and cons of each.