For many students, the process of choosing a major can be overwhelming, especially with so many options to choose from. Some students may have known what they wanted to do for a long time, while several students are still unsure. It’s not always easy to find one’s calling, but there are steps every student can take to help them choose a major. Let’s go through them!

1. Explore Your Interests - trying new activities and taking certain classes can help anyone discover what their interests are. Maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to try, but you didn’t because you were afraid of failure. One of the best ways to try new things is to join some of the clubs and organizations that are offered on campus. Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, can help you realize what your interests and passions are.

1. Discover your passions, values, and skills - College is a place for students to try new things. To do so can help you realize what subjects you're passionate about, what your core values are, and what your skills would be in any workplace. Knowing all those things will make it much easier to choose a career path.

1. Attend career-focused guest lectures and seminars - At Southeast we host several career-focused events to help students find which career options and fields of study interest them. This includes networking events like the Career Expo which we host each semester.

1. Know your strengths and weaknesses - To know your strengths and weaknesses will help you find which career options are more suitable for you. For example, if someone is patient, outgoing, and organized, they may be suitable for a job in education. Or if someone is introverted and tech-savvy, they may look for a job in the technology careers. One of the best ways to discover your strengths and weaknesses is through job experiences and paying attention to which classes you enjoyed the most and the least.

1. Make a list of the fields that interest you - Writing down the career options that you’re interested in will help you organize your thoughts about potential career paths. 

1. Process of Elimination - Once you know your interests, skills, values, passions, strengths, and weaknesses, you also know which areas of study do not interest you. This will make it easier for you to cross certain career options off the list and narrow down your options.

1. Look into available services at Southeast - At Southeast, Career Services offers a variety of services to help you through the process of choosing a major or minor.

1. Consider your options - At Southeast we have many options for students who are still undecided. You could shadow someone in a career that interests you, volunteer at a non-profit organization related to your area of interest or get a part-time or summer job to include as experience on your resume.

1. Schedule a meeting with your academic advisor or a career counselor - Sometimes talking through problems is the best way to solve them and here at Southeast, we have academic advisors and career counselors who are always here to help, especially if a student needs help deciding on a major.

These are some of the steps that any student can take in discovering which major is right for them. It will take time, but there is no rush, college is for self-discovery. At Southeast, we always have resources available to help our students find their path.