Which career best suits my talents?

Question

I'm just entering college and as time draws nearer, I feel as though I need to make a quick decision here as in what to major in. So far I haven't found much but was in need of help. My strong suit would probably be in history and have had thoughts of teaching but not quite sure if I can handle the kids. I do enjoy helping others, especially sports wise being I was a high school athlete and still workout. If anyone has any advice please feel free to answer. Can you help me? Thank you!

Answer 1

You don't have to set anything in stone right now.  You have at least 2 more years before you have to decide what you want to major in.  Start off by taking your general education requirements.  That should give you some more ideas about what classes you like and what you want to do.  If your school has a career service office, talk to them about it.  Some schools also have major fairs where they tell you what kinds of jobs you can get with each major, and what classes you have to take.

Answer 2

Take something that interests you.  It's rare that someone's major is applicable to what they actually end up doing (except pre-meds and scientist types).

You might want to check out these two books: "What color is your parachute" and "career match" which is insightful in terms of personality/career and you can see if any majors relating to those professions might interest you.  If your school offers Briggs-Meyers test, that might come in handy as well.

Answer 3

If you think you might want to be a history teacher, and you're interesting in helping people re: athletics, but aren't sure if you can handle the kids, I'd have you major in history to start out with, and volunteer to coach kids in your sport in the local school system or for the Boys & Girls Clubs or another such organization. You'll gain experience coaching/teaching kids while you study, and by the time the first term is up, you may have a better idea for whether or not being a history teacher would work for you.

And consider different age groups as well. Some people are more comfortable and better at teaching the young ones, while others are better with high school students. Try to coach different age groups so you get a feel for each one, and that may help you decide your path.

If you do become a history teacher, you probably also want to coach your sport, so look into what you need to do to allow you to do that.

Answer 4

I would advise you to get in touch with your schools career center.  They can give you personality and job placement tests to see what your interests are and help you find a career path.  I wouldn't recommend having an undecided major for very long, although the school may tell you other wise.  Depending on your major your core classes will change.  You don't want to be stuck taking classes that you don't need or have to take more classes because you changed your mind.  Also don't worry too much about your major because there are many, many people that have jobs in fields outside of their majors.  Many employers just want to see that you went college regardless of your major. [There are some jobs were this is an exception.]  So I would suggest that you start thinking of a career path now because it will make it a lot easier for you down the road.  Good luck!