Tag: college major

What is a Communications Major and is it Right for Me?

Do you enjoy talking to people and figuring out what makes them tick? Are you an outgoing person who is comfortable connecting with diverse groups of people and getting your message across effectively? If you answered yes to these questions, then being a communications major might just be for you.

What is a communications major?

A communications major is a major designed to teach you about effective communication and how to apply it to fields like media, law and business. Coursework for this major is very similar to coursework for related majors such as public relations, advertising and journalism. As a communications major, you’ll be taking a broad range of classes including marketing, sociology and business as well as more traditional communications classes like media studies and journalism.

Is it right for me?

Majoring in communications means having a broad understanding of how this field impacts others such as business and media. Here are some key questions to ask yourself before embarking on this major:

Do I feel confident in my writing and communication skills?
Do I like studying a broad range of subjects including sociology, psychology and media studies?
Am I able to handle and incorporate criticism and feedback from my professors and peers?
Am I good at multitasking and working on multiple projects and subjects at once?
Will I dedicate myself to getting internships and jobs through college that will further my level of experience?

What can I do with a communications major?

Since communications is a broad major with significant overlap to other majors, there are plenty of available career options. Some of the most common ones include:

  • public relations
  • journalism
  • law
  • marketing
  • copywriting
  • … and more

What do communications majors earn?

Salaries for communications majors are as varied as the career paths they take after graduation. While public relations specialists can expect to earn starting salaries between $40,000-$45,000, entry-level salaries for attorneys start at $55,000-$60,000 and quickly go up from there.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Marketing Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Answer: Are You Willing to Travel?.

What is a Design Major and is it Right for Me?

Are all of your Instagram posts works of art? Do you love going above and beyond when drawing on Snapchat photos? Is Photoshop your second home?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to consider becoming a design major, where you’ll be able to learn about the principles of design, the mediums people use to create those designs and the history of art as a whole.

What is a design major?

Contrary to popular belief, being a design major is about more than just creating pretty things. It’s both an art and science, and many of your classes will deal with both of these over the course of your college career.

Design majors take courses in several different areas of study including art history, modeling, drafting, computer programming, studio art, typography and more.

Is it right for me?

If you’re still trying to decide if a design major is the right path for you, here are several key questions to ask yourself.

  • Am I able to receive and incorporate constructive criticism from my professors as well as my peers? Am I excited to share my work with others, or do I dread it? Do I have a thick skin?
  • Am I a team player when I have to work with peers on projects?
  • Do I like spending a lot of time alone working on my designs?
  • Am I ready and willing to still spend time on academic parts of the major and put as much time and effort into them as my art?
  • Do I have a keen eye for design and know when art looks “good” and when it doesn’t?
  • What can I do with a design degree?

For art-minded students, graduating with a design degree can open up a huge number of potential career options, including positions like illustrator, animator, art director, graphic designer, fashion designer, photographer, marketing professional, textile maker, programmer, web designer, video game designer and theater/set designer.

What do designers earn?

Because they’re in a creative field, design careers vary greatly, and therefore so do their salaries. A typical entry-level graphic designer earns around $40,000 but this could vary based on where you live (for instance, in New York City versus St. Louis) and if you’re working for a larger firm or independently as a freelancer.

Moreover, many people who major in design (especially recent grads) often take on lots of freelance projects at the beginning of their careers, which means income may be inconsistent from month to month. That doesn’t mean your total earnings will be low; it just means they could vary over time.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What Types of Skills Are Best for a Design Major? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 6 Things to Do in Your First Week at a New Job.

What is an Arts Major and is it Right for Me?

Did you love art class as a kid? Do you use every inch of paper to doodle? Do you love visiting interesting museums and exhibits? Do you look at the design of a website or graphic and wonder how it was made? If so, becoming an arts major in college may be right up your alley.

What is an arts major?

An arts major in an interdisciplinary major, weaving together multiple academic subjects like art history, painting, sculpture and photography. Additional areas of study include subjects like the business of visual arts and art therapy.

Is it right for me?

Before you start majoring in the visual arts, there are several important considerations to think about. Arts major don’t necessarily create art all the time, and there could be financial ramifications as well.

Here are several key questions to ask yourself before you officially declare yourself an arts major:

  • Am I prepared for the financial costs of being an arts major, including paying for art supplies or traveling to museums or exhibits and paying fees for those?
  • Am I okay with taking academic classes as well as art classes?
  • Do I have a thick skin? Am I able to take and incorporate constructive criticism I receive from professors and peers?
  • Am I prepared to spend much of my course of academic study alone working on my art?
  • Do I enjoy spending a great deal of time visiting museums and exhibits and looking for inspiration elsewhere?

What can I do with an arts degree?

Just because you major in visual arts doesn’t necessarily mean you have to become a “starving artist,” creating your own exhibits and selling pieces. While that’s definitely a valid career option, there are other ways to make your arts degree applicable.

Some potential career paths include:

  • art professor
  • art therapist
  • graphic designer
  • advertising executive
  • art critic
  • fashion designer
  • textile designer
  • museum, gallery or exhibit curator
  • art educator
  • gallery owner
  • filmmaker
  • photographer
  • photojournalist

What do artists earn?

Pursuing a career in visual arts isn’t necessarily known to be lucrative, and salaries vary wildly depending on where you live, what you do and how much work you take on at any given time.

“Fine artists” like painters, sculptors and illustrators usually make starting salaries around $40,000-$60,000 if they have steady work, whereas people in other art-related careers may make more or less depending on the type of work and how consistent it is (for example, the average annual salary for a graphic designer is $41,000 a year while the average salary for a museum curator is $53,000).

Next, learn more about this college major such as Computer Science and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Get a Letter of Recommendation.

What is a Computer Science Major and Is it Right for Me?

From creating computer games to programming technology for the CIA or building the next Facebook, there are a lot of amazing things you can do with a computer science degree. It’s an exciting and constantly evolving field with virtually unlimited growth. And did you know that several successful celebrities are former computer science majors? Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and even comedian Jimmy Fallon all got their start by studying computer science.

What is a computer science major?

A computer science major involves the study of computers and programming languages. Majoring in this field will help you develop great technical skills and give you a new perspective on problem-solving. You’ll learn how to break problems apart and execute them effectively.

Is it right for me?

To be successful as a computer science major, you need to enjoy the process. This means that new technologies and software should excite you and you should be comfortable throwing out what you currently know to learn something new. This will ultimately lead you into a successful future, helping you deal with hard problems inside and outside of your career.

You can start by asking yourself the following questions.

  • Would I enjoy learning languages to communicate with computers?
  • Am I creative, logical and persistent?
  • Do I enjoy being able to solve challenging problems?
  • Do I like to create tools that increase productivity?
  • Do the latest technologies excite me?

What can I do with a computer science degree?

One of the best things about computer science is that it’s a rapidly-growing field. Many people with computer science degrees work as programmers or computer systems analysts, helping to build and maintain complex technological systems.

Some other potential career options include becoming a software engineer, business intelligence analyst or database administrator.

What do people with a computer science degree earn?

In addition to being an exciting field, computer science is also quite profitable. Starting salaries typically run between $50,000-$70,000, depending on location and experience. An established programmer with four to five years of experience can expect to earn anywhere from $100,000 to $120,000 per year.

 

Next, learn more about this college major such as Science and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Use a Blog to Apply for an Internship.

What Types of Skills Are Best for a Design Major?

Looking to major in design? Stellar art skills aren’t the only talents you’ll need to succeed in college. Here are five areas that are important for doing well as a design major and in your design career after college.

Creative skills

Obviously, having a keen eye and a feel for beautiful art is extremely important if you want to major in design. But going above your own creative skills, you’ll also have to learn about how others created their art and the thought processes that went into their pieces.

Part of creativity is knowing how and when to gain inspiration from others, and you’ll spend lots of time focusing on that as a design major.

Computer programming skills

Surprisingly enough, design majors need to be relatively tech-savvy nowadays, especially if they hope to pursue careers in design after college.

Knowing how to use programs like Adobe Creative Suite, HTML and CSS will propel you light-years ahead of everyone in the job market, and that begins with paying attention to honing these skills in college.

Organizational skills

Design majors are often juggling any number of projects at various stages of completion, so being able to keep yourself organized both in terms of logistics (for instance, knowing where all of your art supplies are) and creativity (like understanding what’s inspiring each particular piece) is extremely important.

Organization skills become more important if you begin getting paid for your work, even as a college student. Many design majors juggle freelance work on top of schoolwork, and it’s crucial for you to keep these different assignments straight and to also handle the business aspects of running your own side gig.

Ability to take criticism

Whether you’re working with peers, professors or clients, you’ll have to have a thick skin as a design major and know how to incorporate criticism and feedback from all sorts of people. Creative majors are definitely not for the weak-minded and often require a certain amount of resilience.

Interpersonal and communication skills

Being able to communicate effectively with people you’re working with as well as people who are critiquing your art is crucial if you want to succeed as a design major. Even more importantly, if you begin taking on clients as a design major, you’re going to have to flex your interpersonal skills to deal with client requests and handle them efficiently and effectively.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Design Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship?

What is a College Major?

Whether you’re just starting your freshman year of college or even if you’re a rising junior, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of a college major. Choosing a major is one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make during your college career, so it’s extra crucial that you weigh your options and choose the area of study that will benefit you the most.

Here are some things you need to know about college majors.

What is a college major?

A college major is a group of specialized courses students are required to take in order to obtain a college degree. A major usually consists of mandatory core courses and elective courses, totaling between 10-12 classes altogether. For example, if you decide to become an English major, you will be required to take core classes in classic British and American literature. Once you’ve successfully passed those, you’ll be able to take electives such as creative writing or contemporary literature.

How do you decide on a major?

Whether you already have a major in mind or you really don’t know which direction to go in, the first step to picking a major is signing up for courses that interest you and seeing how you feel about them. You should also reach out to other students who are already majoring in those subjects and ask them questions about the classes, professors and their general experience.

Finally, be sure to try a variety of different classes during your freshman and sophomore years since this is the only way you can truly discover which subject is most interesting to you.

What if you want to do more than one major?

Depending on your school, you may have the option to double major, have a major and a minor, or even make up your own major (these are usually called concentrations). Each college has their own rules and your academic advisor can walk you through your options to help you make the right choice.

If you are attending a four-year university, you will likely have to select your major by the end of your sophomore year. That means you will have four semesters to decide which area of study suits you best. Once you do decide on a major, you don’t need to worry if it ends up not working out. You can still change your major after that, but it’s better to do it sooner rather than later so you can still have time to complete all the courses required, and you won’t have to stay an extra semester.

Oftentimes, students wonder if their major will dictate their choice of career. In some cases, with specific majors like engineering or nursing, those subjects will translate into a related career. But, if you are studying a subject that has multiple applications, there’s no telling what type of profession you’ll end up with — it’s all up to you.

Pro Tip: Even if you’ve chosen a specific major and you decide you don’t really want a career in that specific field after graduation, that’s okay too. It’s never too late to choose a new direction.

Choosing a college major may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s really an exciting time for you to expand your knowledge and dig deeper into a subject you are passionate about. By trying out different courses and asking your friends, family, and academic professionals for guidance, you’ll be on your way to choosing your major in no time.

 

Next, learn more about this college major such as Finance and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Getting an Entry-Level Job with No Experience.

What Types of Skills Are Best for a Computer Science Major?

If the idea of writing code and coming up with creative tech solutions appeals to you, then becoming a computer science major might just be for you. What’s the best way to thrive as a computer science major and set yourself up for success? It starts with having the right skill set.

Here are the top five skills the most successful computer science majors possess.

Analytical skills

Being a computer science major involves identifying a problem and coming up with a technological solution to address it. This requires having strong analytical skills that will enable you to understand the issue you’re dealing with and evaluate different solutions in order to find the one that best fits your needs.

Problem-solving skills

One of the other key skills for computer science majors is the ability to solve complex problems in a systematic and logical way. This is because most of the projects you’ll be working on will require you to take a concept and turn it into a reality. In order to do this, you’ll need to be able to think about the best way to execute the project and then outline the steps needed to get it done.

Creativity

Creativity goes hand in hand with problem solving and it’s one of the other key skills you’ll need as a computer science major. Since coming up with solutions to problems is almost never a straightforward process, out-of-the-box thinking is often required in order to ensure that you’re delivering the most innovative and effective solutions.

Critical-thinking skills

Critical thinking is an important skill to have in any major, but it’s especially important when it comes to computer science. This is because you’re going to be working on a variety of projects and using a variety of methodologies, so knowing which methodologies to use (and when to use them) is an essential part of getting the job done. By thinking critically, you’ll also be able to assess why certain solutions might not work and to save time in coming up with the right approach.

Resilience

One of the key tenets of programming (at any level) is understanding that you’re most likely going to fail before you succeed. This has nothing to do with your programming abilities and everything to do with the process itself. Programming involves trying out different elements of code until you find the best solution and learning to be resilient, determined and humble in the face of multiple failures is part of the process.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What Is a Computer Science Major and Is It Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look For in a Company.

What is a Philosophy Major and is it Right for Me?

Do you like questioning the world around you? Do you like spending hours and hours using logic to reason your way through a problem? If so, majoring in philosophy may be for you.

What is a Philosophy Major?

Contrary to popular belief, majoring in philosophy isn’t about simply sitting on a rock and pondering life’s greatest questions. You will be tackling many broad and abstract questions and using logic and ethics to sort through them but finding a solution isn’t necessarily the endgame. Philosophy majors spend a great deal of their time reading, writing and talking about their ideas, typically in smaller class settings.

What classes do philosophy majors actually take? It depends on your college’s program, but some basic classes involve logic, ethics, metaphysics, political theory, sociology and anthropology.

Is it right for me?

Before you declare yourself a philosophy major, here are some key questions to ask yourself:

  • Am I a strong reader and writer? Do I enjoy reading complicated texts and communicating my thoughts and opinions?
  • Am I willing to work on a complex problem until I think of potential solutions, or do I get frustrated easily?
  • Do I handle criticism and feedback from peers and professionals well?
  • Do I like small classroom settings where I’m required to talk several times during each class, engaging in intense discussion throughout?

What can I do with a philosophy degree?

Majoring in philosophy can actually open doors to many other careers. Very few philosophy majors become “philosophers,” but other career paths include:

The overarching theme, however, is that a philosophy major sets people up to tackle big problems and troubleshoot solutions.

What do people who majored in philosophy earn?

While your career trajectory could differ greatly, a recent study found that philosophy majors earn an average of $82,000 when they’re 10-20 years out of college.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What Types of Skills Are Best for a Philosophy Major? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as When to Start Applying for a Summer Internship.

What is a Literature Major and is it Right for Me?

Do you have a book on hand at all times? If you love reading literature classics and discussing them with others and you consider yourself a strong communicator, majoring in literature may be for you.

What is a literature major?

A literature major involves reading and analyzing works of literature. This means discussing texts and understanding their historical, cultural and literary significance. As a literature major, you’ll be responsible for understanding and explaining the impact of texts including poems, short stories and novels.

Is it right for me?

One of the biggest questions you probably have is how a literature major differs from the more widely-known English major. While it depends on the program you’re in, English majors typically take many more classes on a variety of different genres and mediums of writing, whereas literature majors (often called “comparative literature” majors) focus on literature from either a specific place or theme.

Regardless, both English and literature majors are extremely reading- and writing-intensive, and you’ll also have to discuss your ideas in all sorts of settings, from lecture halls to seminars.

  • Here are some key questions to ask yourself before you become a literature major:
  • Do I possess strong writing and reading skills? Am I able to push myself to read and write about books and other works that may not be of interest to me?
  • Am I comfortable sharing my thoughts and feelings on various literature with professors and peers in both large and intimate settings?
  • Do I take constructive criticism and feedback well? Am I okay with both professors and peers critiquing my work and potentially disagreeing with my opinions or ideas?
  • Am I interested in most likely going abroad and studying in some of the places I’m reading about?
  • Am I ready and willing to take on a major capstone or thesis project towards the end of my college career?

What can I do with a literature degree?

Much like English majors, literature majors get a bad rap for studying something not transferrable to the real world, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Literature majors graduate with strong reading, writing, critical thinking and communication skills, all of which serve them well in a variety of fields.

There are a large number of career options for people with literature degrees, which include positions such as journalist, author, writer, marketer, public relations specialist, professor, copywriter, editor, technical writer, publisher and lawyer.

What do people who major in literature earn?

Salaries vary based on the career you pursue, but if you’re interested in going into some form of communications like journalism, marketing or public relations, starting salaries are usually in the $35,000-$45,000 range.

 

Next, learn more about this college major such as Business and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Be a Team Player.

What is a Finance Major and is it Right for Me?

Are you intrigued by the mathematics or statistics courses that you’ve taken in the past? Do you feel like you solve problems in creative ways, with a numbers-driven approach? Would you be interested in helping companies plan for how to grow their revenue or maintain profitability in both the short and long term? If so, a finance major might just be for you.

What is a finance major?

Financial planning, investment decisions and analyzing/limiting expenses are all various aspects of what you can and will learn as a finance major. As a finance major, you will study how companies have performed in the past to predict how they will perform in the future, and learn how to communicate information that will drive strategic changes. Many of your assignments will be project driven, whether they be individual case studies to enhance your problem-solving ability, or group presentations to practice the way you interact with others. Typical classes in this major include accounting, economics, math and psychology.

Is it right for me?

Finance is an exciting major with plenty of career opportunities. Contrary to popular belief, it’s also a major that requires both analytical skills and a healthy dose of creativity. Above all, it will help you develop multiple skill sets at once, offering you a great chance of success in several industries after graduation.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding if a finance major is right for you:

  • Am I interested in math and statistics?
  • Am I a creative problem-solver who is able to overcome challenges by coming up with innovative solutions?
  • Am I interested in figuring out how to help companies increase their revenue?
  • Am I a good communicator who is able to express my ideas clearly and effectively?

If you responded “Yes” to all of the above, then being a finance major might just be for you.

What can I do with a finance degree?

Finance as an area of study is fairly broad and offers plenty of career options. These include:

  • Investment banking
  • Management consulting
  • Investment management
  • Corporate Finance
  • Accounting
  • Risk management
  • And more…

If you’re interested in how companies should allocate financial resources, corporate finance may be your calling. If you’re more fascinated by financial markets, how people construct investment portfolios, wealth creation and preservation, investment management could be the route for you. And if you want to learn about probability and statistics and how they correlate to business decisions, then risk management might be the right path to pursue.

What do finance majors earn?

The salaries of finance majors vary widely depending on the careers they choose to pursue. While accountants earn an average salary of $63,000 per year, management consultants earn an average of $86,000 and investment bankers can earn upwards of $250,000.

Next, learn more about this college major such as Accounting and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Answer: What Motivates You?.