5 College Majors to Know About If You Don’t Know What You Want to Be Yet

Some people out there seem to have simply been born with a passion for a certain career path.

From childhood through college and beyond, they always had the thought of "I want to be a doctor/teacher/therapist/biologist/(insert job title of choice here)." Many of the rest of us, on the other hand, are simply not so sure of what we want to be when we grow up.

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The thing that's important to know, however, is that it's more than okay to not know what you want to be just yet! If you're headed towards college in the coming months or even years and are starting to feel the pressure to choose a major (basically the course of study you'll be focused on for the next four years and the title your fancy, overpriced degree will have on it), here are a few to explore that you may not have heard of just yet:

1. Humanities

Do you love art? Literature? Music? Can't choose just one? No problem—humanities encompasses them all! The best way to think of the study of humanities is as art history and then some. While art history as a major focuses squarely on the study of the visual arts, humanities include "the arts" as a whole. What's more, it doesn't just have to be the classics, either. While you'll definitely need to at least touch on the classics (information that will always make you sound impressive at parties, by the way), you could also learn about everything from the historical importance of tea to rock n' roll and so much more. Because it's a more broad field than art history or English literature, you can also apply it to a wider range of careers post-graduation. It's common for people that end up becoming teachers and even writers, but you can really use it how you like (you know, as long as you don't plan on being a neuroscientist or something).

 

2. Communications

While this one gets a lot of flack for being the major that everyone falls back on when they couldn't choose anything else, it's actually a super comprehensive field of study that can apply to tons of careers. After all, communication is at the core of pretty much every job—and our society as a whole—so it makes sense that a company would want to hire someone that understands the ins and outs of communication. You'll get to learn about a broad span of subjects too, from public speaking to writing and even advertising tactics, all things you can take with you into a career in marketing, human resources or another people-focused role.

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3. Sociology

While you may not yet know it by name, you're probably more familiar with sociological concepts than you think. By definition, sociology is the study of society and how humans interact within society, including our social patterns, cultures and social interactions. It's a social science, which is related to others in that category like the far more popular psychology—only it can be used in way more career applications. Concepts and ideologies that are so relevant to our society and lives stem from sociology, including everything from feminism to understanding systemic racism. Basically, if you want to learn about things like how Disney ruined us as children, gender is a social construct and how the media has always been toxic for women and people of color, then sociology may be the major for you.

 

4. International Studies

If you've ever dreamed of being an ambassador one day or are simply interested in learning more about the governments of other countries, international studies has you covered. While it may sound from the title like this discipline focuses more on cultural differences and the art and history of other countries, that kind of thing may lead you more towards anthropology (another major that easily could've been included on this list). International studies are great if you love subjects like economics but want to do less math and learn more about the way the world works on a grand scale.

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5. Public Health

Wow, how the importance of this one cannot be overstated in a year like this one. You may already be familiar with studies like biology, chemistry and even biomedical sciences, but public health often gets left off these lists of commonly known names. Essentially, this study focuses on, well, the health of the public. That means how things like pandemics happen and can be handled and how different strategies can be implemented to improve the health of certain populations. It's incredibly important but doesn't require the same intensive study practices of other medical sciences. It's also super highly valued right now since the current pandemic showed companies across the world how important public health policy is, meaning you'll basically have a guaranteed job out of school if you don't want to pursue higher education further.

 

Still struggling to figure everything (your major and so much more) out before heading off to campus? Don't worry, you're definitely not alone. Click HERE for a few things you'll want to tackle before college.