<p>So my parents and sister are being really on top of me and basically it has come down to me having to pick my college major tonight. I'm a high school junior by the way. They're making me do this because I'm planning to apply to a summer program about psychology which is what I think I want to major in. However, although I really like studying psychology and learning all I can about the subject, I don't think I would ever want a career in psychology. In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't want to be a psychologist or anything like that when I grow up. I know that my major in college isn't necessarily related to my career but apparently my family thinks that way..I don't know whether they're right or not. My family thinks that if I want to major in psychology I must find a career path that I want to take after college that my psychology studies will have helped guide me to. If i don't, they think what's the point in me majoring in that topic. I don't know what to do or whether I should really apply to this summer program because if I were to major in something else in college, I wouldn't apply to this psychology summer program.</p>
<p>Sorry if this doesn't make complete sense. I'm just really confused and stressed out right now and I need guidance ASAP. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Right. It’s just that I basically HAVE to pick a career tonight if I’m going to do psychology in college… but I don’t want a career in psychology. Does it even make sense to major in it then?</p>
<p>First of all, if you’re interested in studying psychology, study psychology. That doesn’t mean you have to major in it, or even find a career field related to it. If you really think you’re in a predicament with your family, then tell them you want to major in psychology for the time being, and when you get to college, tell them you changed your mind – what’s the worst they can do? Anyway, far more often than not, a college education serves more to broaden your horizons than it does to prepare you for a career path. After all, think of how many pre-med students major in humanities majors.</p>
<p>*Right. It’s just that I basically HAVE to pick a career tonight if I’m going to do psychology in college… but I don’t want a career in psychology. Does it even make sense to major in it then? *</p>
<p>I think you’re over-thinking this. What’s the big deal? You don’t have to pick a career tonight. No one can MAKE you stay in psychology. You can take do this program, and still decide a different major/career later.</p>
<p>Tell your family you want to do this program, but if you later decide that Psych isn’t for you, then so be it! They need to chillax.</p>
<p>Yeah. I have been taking it too seriously only because my family thinks i’m screwed for college and they’re freaking out at me because they think I don’t get how screwed I am.</p>
<p>The only reason I’m saying I have to pick a career is because I’m only applying to this summer program(which I pretty much need to get done tonight so I can ask teachers for recs tomorrow) because I want to major in psychology and I think colleges would like to see that I studied psychology over the summer so they know I really do have an interest in the subject…and if I major in Psych then my family is expecting that I will have a career related to psychology - So my parents want to know the full plan aka what all of this psychology work will lead to.</p>
<p>:/ but i guess i should just make up a career that i would want to take on after college and tell them so they will support me with the summer program and majoring in psychology…</p>
<p>Schools basically ignore what most students say they’re going to major in. I don’t know the state off hand, but a really high percentage of students change majors from what they think they’re going to be coming into college.</p>
<p>True - especially parents, because they remember past eras in which people got a bachelor’s degree to start a career. Very few bachelor’s degrees lead to particular careers these days, and those that do typically only lead to entry-level positions. As an undergrad, you’ll need to learn to communicate, critically reason, and synthesize information from disparate sources to create new understandings. You can do that with many, many majors. And then, you don’t need to go into a career relate to that major; in fact, even if that’s your initial plan, you probably won’t. </p>
<p>The typical college student changes majors more than once. So go ahead and check out Psych. It’s a great field with valuable insights on how we all differ, that will be an asset for you no matter what you do for a living. And I would advocate that you specifically avoid settling on a major or a career before you head to college. An undergraduate education is all about exploration.</p>
<p>as other posters have said, a psychology degree can lead to many careers besides clinical psychology - HR, PR, Advertising/Marketing, Education, etc. Here’s a nice chart that summarizes many of the career paths you might consider:</p>
<p>I’m still a bit confused by what the OP’s concern is…</p>
<p>Is his family insisting the he “commit” to majoring in Psychology, otherwise they won’t approve his opportunity to go to this summer program? </p>
<p>If so, it’s silly for the family to try to exact such a promise, because it’s meaningless. It’s not enforceable. If the student goes to college and decides on majoring in - say Biology - is his family going to say, “Oh no, you committed to majoring in psychology when you were 16 years old.” ???</p>
<p>Is his family insisting the he “commit” to majoring in Psychology, otherwise they won’t approve his opportunity to go to this summer program?</p>
<p>If so, it’s silly for the family to try to exact such a promise, because it’s meaningless. It’s not enforceable. If the student goes to college and decides on majoring in - say Biology - is his family going to say, “Oh no, you committed to majoring in psychology when you were 16 years old.” ???</p>
<p>Yes, because I would be wasting money going to a summer program in a certain field (psychology) when I could have been doing something beneficial and productive towards the biology (the example you used) major.
I know it sounds pretty ridiculous to have to choose what I major in already but it’s just that my family wants me to have done something during the summer that will have contributed to or somehow supported my future major. (so that colleges will see i’m dedicated to that major)</p>
<p>Thank you for all of the replies. They have been very helpful. I think I’ve figured out what I should do. My dad thinks that I should major in communications like writing because he thinks I’m similar to my sister who did writing as a major in college. So, to satisfy my parents, I’m trying to find two summer programs, one in psychology and one in writing, so that I can explore both and at the end of the summer, decide what major I would like to do. I can’t find anything yet that falls under a reasonable budget and doesn’t conflict with my July 11-July 25 commitment… :/</p>