Choosing a major?? So confused.

Hi! So I’m posting this because I’m at the point where I need to choose a college major. For one, I have basically no gen eds left to complete, but I’m also just tired of taking classes that I can’t see being applicable/leading me anywhere. So, here’s some background:

I graduated high school with high grades, and I loved the variety of classes. This is probably my biggest issue - I just love every subject matter (except writing). I do hate writing. Math was probably always my favorite subject (I think partially just because I was better in it than a lot of people). But, I don’t really know how math can be used daily in a career. Obviously there’s always teaching, but I just can’t see myself being happy in that long term.

So now I’m kinda stuck. I’ve thought of numerous majors, but I just can’t decide on sticking with one.

Majors/Careers:

Accounting: I’ve only considered this briefly really, but I overall think that I would be bored and unfulfilled in it long term. I just can’t see how sitting in an office doing accounting is making society a better place. I think that I would like the math of the career and the fact that it’s so systematic, but I just can’t see myself liking the overall point of the job. But, I am good with numbers and money, so it seems to fit me quite well.

Biostatistician: I have highly considered this route - even started down a statistics degree. However, I just started a statistics class, and I am bored out of my mind during it. I don’t know if it’s because we are mainly reviewing right now or if the teacher is just boring or if I actually hate the subject matter. But it has being boring me out of my mind. I also struggle with the idea of it statistics ever gets more challenging (because I think it’s overall easy), but I’ve only taken lower level classes. However, I love the idea that it uses math to help improve aspects of society. It could really be beneficial in research, and I think it would give me a high level of fulfillment. However, this would include quite a bit of writing reports that I wouldn’t really enjoy.

Physician Assistant: I have also really considered this route. I love the idea of helping people, and the idea that my job would really be making a difference in people’s lives. I have shadowed PAs and doctors, and I like the look of the occupation from an outsiders point of view. I like the fact that you aren’t just sitting at a desk all day (yes I know that a lot of documentation is required), but it’s still overall an active job. However, I am not a huge fan of blood/needles so I know that’s something I would have to get over. I also wonder how I would feel in the career because once you’re there, you can’t really climb up to the next level. I am also very analytical so I think I might miss using that part of my brain if I was in this field.

Mathematics Major: I like the versatility of a math degree. I could teach (maybe would need a masters), I could get a masters in biostatistics, or I could get a job in finance/fashion/healthcare. However, I think that I would kind of dislike proof type classes just because of the fact that they wouldn’t seem applicable to the real world.

Apparel Marketing/Merchandising: This is the reason I went to the specific college that I did. I’ve wanted to work in fashion since I was a little girl. The only thing stopping me from pursuing this route is the worry about getting into a good job. Higher level fashion jobs tend to get paid a decent amount, but you have to work up to them. I love the idea of having something to reach for, but I’m just so afraid of failure. I also get worried that long term I would feel like I could be doing so much more - something that improves society. Or that I might miss being in a more analytical role.

Engineering (Specifically Biomedical)l: I have thought about engineering. This one would take me longer to complete, but I like aspects of it. It improves society and would allow me to use both math and science skills (which I enjoy both). However, people say a bachelors in biomedical has bad career aspects. I wouldn’t be against getting a masters, but I don’t want to have to get a masters. I also worry about not actually like the duties involved in this. I don’t really care to build things, I’m not big into drawing/sketching, and I don’t really want to work in a lab (I hate lab work). I also don’t really enjoy physics all the much, which kind of turns me away from engineering.

So, overall, I’m throughly confused. I think some of this I wrote just to give me guidance, but if anyone had any thoughts/experience to add I would highly appreciate it. I would love to be started on a major that I actually feel like I want to do long term. If you have any ideas for other majors, I would be interested in hearing those too! Thank you.

So you say you like math.

Have you taken a proof-based math course yet? I would recommend you do so before deciding you don’t like it. Proof-based courses can be very applicable in the real world.

Have you considered Applied Math, or a more flexible Math major?

There’s lots you can do with a math degree that isn’t teaching or finance related. Personally, I developed an interest in Cryptography and tailored my major electives to that (I’m also a CS double major; I took things like probability and stats, number theory, computer security, etc). The federal government employs a lot mathematicians across all agencies, but especially in the Department of Defense. They solve problems every day.

I have not taken a proof-based class yet as I don’t really have the pre-reqs for one. I don’t really see myself liking classes like this just because it seems like ‘why does it matter.’ I can’t see application to the real world which makes it hard for me to think that I would enjoy a class like that.

Applied math is the route I would go if I decided to major in math. I’m just unsure if that’s really the path I want to take.

Thank you for your insight and answer!

Well, here’s the thing. There’s no such thing as an ideal fit for a major. It’s like an ambiguous multiple choice test. Just choose what you feel is the best. Most the time, you just go with your gut. Just choose one and just stick to it.