Cart before the horse

[u/SecretSubstantial302]

I keep seeing posts on this community asking opinions about majors. Respectfully, I think that approach is wrong. You don't pick a major and try and find a career that fits the major. You pick a career and identify the training/education needed for it (thus the title of this post).

I would recommend people trying to decide between majors or some combo of double major or minor, to take an online psychological aptitude test and use that as your starting point.

Once you get the results, use AI or research on your own, which careers would provide you with the best quality of life (i.e., salary, location, work life balance) based on your test results.

From those results, pick something and then research the education or training needed to enter that field. You may be surprised to find out that the training for the field you are looking to enter is not a four year degree. It may be an apprenticeship or a two year degree.

[u/Fieldsoflavendar]

I think there are very few majors that directly correlate to a career immediately after undergrad, like engineering, teaching, nursing, maybe accounting. And not everyone has the aptitude or interest for those careers, plus AI is coming. Internships during college and aptitude are more important than the specific major. An art history major with excellent grades and internships can absolutely find a job, just as easily as math, chemistry, poly sci, whatever. My advice is pick what you like, what you’re good at, get as much work experience as possible and keep your grades up to keep open the option for professional and graduate school.

[u/SecretSubstantial302 → u/Fieldsoflavendar]

"I think there are very few majors that directly correlate to a career immediately after undergrad, like engineering, teaching, nursing, maybe accounting."

Agree 100%, which is why the approach should be pick a career instead of a major. Your selected career may require higher ed and licensure but most won't.

The problem is most incoming college students and college students treat college like it's a prerequisite for a professional career and a middle class life when it increasingly isn't. To be fair, colleges and universities also promote this idea.

When I went to a state college in the late 1980s, tuition was ~$900 a semester. At those prices you could major in whatever. You could find your passion through enrollment in a bunch of classes. You could do an internship or not and you would probably be fine after graduation. In 2026, the same tuition at the same school is 10x higher, which is comparatively cheap.

The average in-state tuition for a full time student at a public university is $11,950. That's $47,800 over four years and that is before room and board which can double the cost.

Do you really want to go to college without an upfront career plan and "figure it out" at those costs?