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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at ODU chapter.

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Perhaps the biggest question people are asked is “what do you want to do?” Sometimes you have an answer, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you just can’t figure it out.

You’re in college now, and maybe you haven’t chosen your major yet. Maybe you’re bouncing some ideas around in your head and can’t choose just one. We’ve got some tips to hopefully help you make the right choice about your major!

 

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Look at your interests

What do you like doing in your spare time? Is it something you would maybe want to do as a career?

If you’re not sure, take a few classes in the things you’re interested in to see if it’s for you. If it’s not, you can still keep it as a hobby and do something else.

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Talk to someone

Sometimes talking it out with a friend or an advisor can really help you figure things out. It helps to explain your ideas and talk it out with someone else.

If talking isn’t your strong point, try writing it out. Putting your ideas on paper can help. It will also give you a visual representation of what your options are, and you can weigh out the pros and cons of your potential majors.

Take classes you might be interested in

If none of your interests are anything you would want to do for the rest of your life, take some classes. Everyone has to take gen eds, and while they’re tedious for someone who already knows what they want to do, they could be helpful for someone who isn’t sure.

If the gen eds don’t help you out, find some majors that would be most interesting to you and take a couple courses to see if it’s right for you.

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Take a quiz

I know, taking a quiz might not be the most appealing idea when you already have to take them in classes, but if you’ve already tried other options, it may not be such a bad idea.

You probably took at least one of those career quizzes while you were in high school. You may not have really cared about it, but it could actually help you figure out what you want to do in life. A quick Google search can help you find one for free, but ODU students have access to one through myODU’s Careers4Monarchs.

The idea of taking a quiz when you already have to take them in classes probably isn’t the most appealing idea, but if you’ve tried other options, it might not be such a bad choice.

Ultimately, choose something that you’ll enjoy doing for the rest of your life. Don’t choose something just because it pays well. If you like it and it pays well, that’s great! If you’re just choosing it because it pays well, think about it. Are you really going to be happy just doing something that pays well for the rest of your life if you’re not really that interested in it? It’s better to do something you’re passionate about than something you don’t really care about. Money is great, but having a job in a field you actually care about is better.

Audra is a senior studying English with a concentration in journalism and double minoring in international studies and communications. In addition to her work with Her Campus, she also writes for ODU's newspaper, the Mace and Crown, and she's a brother of Phi Sigma Pi. When Audra isn't writing for Her Campus or the Mace and Crown, she's playing video games, reading a book or sleeping. Her favorite animal is a cat, and she really enjoys cat videos.