Picking a College Major: How Choosing What You Love Makes Strategic Sense

When it comes time to select a major in college, many college students feel the need to choose between pursuing their passion and the ability to earn a living. Some college students face family pressure to major in an area that is a perceived stepping stone to a high paying job. But the choice between following one's passion and pursuing a "responsible" major is usually a false dilemma. Not only is it possible to pursue your passion and build the foundation for a lucrative career, but choosing a major in order to boost your career prospects may even be detrimental to your career.

Top employers and graduate programs do not look for candidates who are already experts in the particular field, but who have the demonstrated ability to think analytically, critically and creatively. Such employers and graduate programs assume that anyone capable of gaining admission have the capacity to learn on the job. Therefore, in order to gain a top job or admission to graduate school, it is necessary to demonstrate your intelligence and critical thinking skills-not that you've already mastered accounting or business administration. The best way to do this is by getting top grades, and the best way to get top grades is to major in something you love.

First, you are much more likely to excel in a subject area that you love. If you find an area fascinating, you are more likely to throw yourself wholeheartedly into its study. You are not only more likely to do the assigned reading, but to go beyond the assigned reading, since reading and learning about the subject is interesting to you anyway, even if you weren't being graded on the subject. Moreover, if you are passionate about a particular subject area, chances are, you are probably already talented at it for the simple reason that people tend to enjoy doing things they are good at.

In contrast, if you force yourself to major in, say, economics, just because you think that is the only way to land an investment banking job, chances are you won't excel. If it is drudgery for you to pore over formulas, you probably lack an affinity for the area and you are unlikely to delve deeper into the subject area than is minimally required. Majoring in economics won't help you land a top job if you lack the grade point average that top caliber employers require. Such employers are much more likely to hire an English major with straight As.

This is not to say that you shouldn't take classes in the substantive areas that you wish to pursue after college. Virtually every medical school requires prospective students to have taken certain pre-requisite science courses. But to get into a top medical school, you do not have to be a science major of any kind. English and History majors get into the top medical schools every year. So by all means, take a few classes in whatever field you think you may like to pursue when you graduate. Taking classes in the field will help you assess whether it is really the field for you, and will serve to signal your interest in the area to potential employers and/or graduate schools. There is simply no need, however, to feel compelled to major in whatever field you plan to turn into your career.

In addition to the potential strategic and economic advantages, another reason to major in an area you love is that college may be your last opportunity to explore an area "just for fun." There will be plenty of times in your life when you will be forced to confine yourself to the practical. You have your whole life to learn accounting or management techniques, but college may be your last chance to learn everything there is to know about Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Vladimir Nabokov-or anything else that piques your interest. Take advantage of that opportunity. As much of a hurry as you may be in to start your career, the opportunity is fleeting and should not be squandered.