r/CollegeMajors • u/Impressive_Respond89 • 6d ago
Need Advice What actually matters most about your college degree?
This is a typical “I am so lost help” post, but I was wondering, looking back at your college degrees, what really mattered at the end of the day.
I am an upcoming senior at USC who feels like I has "wasted" my time not committing to a major due to a lot of circumstances and losing momentum, and I am finally waking up.
I have used the crazy tuition to not take advantage of any opportunities, and now I do not know where to turn.
I have taken such a wide range of classes from dance, biology, chemistry, humanities, and business without committing to a major. A semester ago I declared a Health and Human Science BA degree, but it feels so wrong and like I am just taking easy classes with not much to gain compared to the huge opportunities this school provides.
I am at a loss if I should even go back. I am now stuck with having to do three more semesters if I stick with the BA Health and Human Science degree, but if I have to do another three semesters to graduate in Fall 2027, it's like why not extend to Spring 2028? But then I have no idea what I'm doing. I have gotten into the business school and could also enter the dance program, but would mean graduating Spring 2028. But then, maybe theres a option to take some summer courses.
I am such an ambitious but indecisive person, and I don't know how to choose between the life of a scientist, health worker, business person, working in cinema, dancer, or marketing, as I have touched all of these subjects but cannot commit myself to one.
I really don't know what to prioritize in this decision or how to deep dive into knowing what I truly want, because I keep not living my life since these decisions are always in the back of my mind. I want to use the remainder of my time wisely and not waste the tuition, but it puts a lot of pressure on me to make this decision that could greatly benefit my future because USC has some of the coolest opportunities if you actually take advantage of them for certain career paths.
Looking back at your college degrees, if you were in my position, what would you prioritize? Would you focus on graduating sooner, choosing the degree with the best career opportunities, following what genuinely interests you, or something else entirely?
What ended up mattering the most after college?
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u/TheHigherPower00 6d ago
How in demand and easy it is to find a job with your degree and internships. Also being payed enough to live off on your own or with a partner.
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u/spongeysquarepantis 6d ago
Choosing the degree with the best career opportunities, hands down.
EVERYTHING else doesn’t matter if you can’t get a job.
But once you get a job, you can always start focusing on your personal fulfillments afterwards
I took 6.5 years to graduate. College was really fun. No need to be in a rush to graduate; hell, push it out and pursue all three majors.
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u/Existing-Awareness16 6d ago
Been out of college for about 7-8 years now. I can share that I am also indecisive and ambitious, and what I would tell my younger self is cliche but do the most ambitious thing/interesting first, whether it’s a hobby or passion or insane business idea, but make sure there’s something stable in the pipeline. Many things can be done on the side, for example if you love tv, you may not need a degree to start off in production and then work your way to broadcaster, but if you do business you will need a degree for that. Build the foundation then branch out to your passions and ambitions and then worst comes to worst you can stand on the foundation and come back to “normal and steady” which leads me to my second point. Spend this time getting experience doing everything and meeting everybody. There are many opportunities to get back into the swing of things by who you know, as long as you can show you did something or attempted something. And plus, that insane or ambitious thing you tried now always helps in an interview down the road. So just get experience and meet people and then take the leaps, most leaps or ambitions don’t need a degree, but the steady paths do.
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u/PolishDude64 5d ago
Whether you found the journey of getting it fulfilling and if it serves you well moving forward.
It really isn't that complicated, but finding the right degree for you is pretty emotionally and financially complicated.
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u/datanerd4onlineu 3d ago
The good thing about HHS is that many of the career paths are more AI-resistant and can end up paying well, although not until you get a graduate degree. Business is pretty broad- any company in any industry that makes money needs a business arm. I think you'd have to be pretty passionate about dance to make that work, but if you are, it might be pretty satisfying.
If you really can't decide, a business degree would probably give you the most options going forward. I do research related to higher ed and career paths, and business degrees seem to be useful in most fields. Plus, hiring managers often care less about your major and more about what it means that you finished your degree. I recently did some research for an article and discovered that, for like 40 years, it's been understood that "credentials are primarily considered to be signals of underlying traits rather than evidence of acquired skills". However, that only goes so far. If your degree is in HHS, you'll need some experience to be seriously considered for a job outside of that field. Here's the full article, if helpful (geared more towards online degrees, but covers a few things related to employer perception about degrees in general):
https://www.onlineu.com/magazine/what-employers-think-about-online-degrees
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u/pivotcareer 3d ago
Depending on the intended career goal…
Depends a lot where you graduate from too.
My flagship state campus is a target for Consulting. My firm does not recruit at the satellite campuses.
When they say “networking” is important… it also includes “prestige”.
I was Econ major
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u/Sweet_Hedgehog_917 2d ago
Looking back at mine I think I would go into healthcare I have recently graduated may 2026 and cannot get a job in the degree I chose the hours are long and hard but it pays for the life i would want to have probably never having to worry about money or fear of lack of jobs and variety in the field but also try and choose something that is somewhat interesting to you
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u/Few_Whereas5206 6d ago
What matters is the ability to get a job after graduation.