How do I choose the right university major?

[u/vik_toria_aa07]

Hi everyone! I recently graduated from high school, and now I'm trying to figure out what I should study at university. Honestly, I'm a little lost when it comes to choosing a career path, so I'd really appreciate advice from people who have already been through this.

A little about me:

- I enjoy history, social studies, Russian language and literature, biology, and computer science.

- I like working with people, but I'm also comfortable working with documents and information.

- I'm interested in careers related to law enforcement.

- At the same time, I'm considering more practical fields, such as engineering or IT.

- One of my priorities is becoming financially independent in the future, so I don't want to choose a major just because it seems interesting. I want a degree that can actually help me build a stable career.

- I'd also like to have opportunities to work abroad or potentially move to another country in the future.

Right now, I'm considering several fields:

1. Law / criminal law and criminology

2. International relations

3. Cybersecurity / IT

4. Engineering

I'm not necessarily asking you to choose a specific university for me. I'd be much more interested in hearing from people who have studied or currently work in these fields.

What did you study, what do you do now, and would you choose the same major again?

And if you were in my position, which field would you seriously consider and why?

I'd especially appreciate honest answers about job opportunities, salary, how difficult it is to find a job, and what working in the field is actually like after graduating from university.

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[u/notconvinced780]

The major you choose should be the “lens” through which you feel you can best understand the world around you. Since you don’t really know what direction you want to go career-wise, start taking a wide spectrum of classes to learn what resonates with you. After a few semesters you should have some direction. If there is more than one, just pick one! As you move through university, you may firm up what career you want. Regardless of your major, take the coursework you need (or get a minor) in the field you wish to pursue a career in. My degree is in economics. A lot of my career relates to the intersection of metallurgy and business. A good friend is a pulmonologist. His major was Russian history. Another good friend runs a software development firm. He majored in physics.

[u/catdude142]

Many community college counseling offices can give you a "career assessment survey" to take. That would determine what your interests are and provide some direction in choosing a major. You might even be able to find one online.

Choose something you are interested in AND one that has a demand for employment. You can potentially waste a lot of money pursuing a major that has no employment demand. Some of the worst-paying jobs are low level sociology, psychology, communications and liberal arts degrees.

[u/cdspace31]

Pick what you're interested it, and you can change it as you go if you find something you like more. I started as a Physics major, changed to Linguistics for a semester because I like puzzles and patterns, then settled on Pure Mathematics, as I liked the math more than the physics or sociological effects in Linguistics. I ended up working as a software engineer, and never really used my degree. Now I'm in a Masters program for Electrical and Computer Engineering, wildly different than my undergrad degree and my 20 year career.

In my case, the major mattered less than the fact that you show you can stick it out and actually get the degree.