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As a recent college graduate with the gift of hindsight, I have come to believe that the first question to ask when choosing a college major is "why am I at college?" That question needs to be answered before considering what most people probably ask first, "what do I want to do in life?"

Why am I at college is an important question because motive is the primary factor to success in nearly every endeavor. Some people go to college because their parents expect it. Some people go because they want to do something that requires an advanced degree, and undergraduate work is a step they have to take to get there. Some people go to postpone the inevitable. Looking back I believe that was a major reason I went to college, combined with the fact that I am a good student who enjoys learning, and I received two full tuition scholarships for my freshman year. That was where the trouble started.

One of those scholarships was targeted to electrical engineering majors in the Air Force ROTC program. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I did not want to be an electrical engineer or have a career in the military. That meant no more scholarship after my freshman year. The other scholarship I lost because my heart wasn't in calculus and computer programming, which fact was reflected in my grades. In exchange for money I had let someone else tell me what to do with my life and I hated it. Some people may be able to put up with that, but I couldn't. At this point the inevitable returned. Just like when I graduated high school, I once again had to decide what to do in my life. Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone bribing me this time.

If I had at this moment considered why I was at college my life might be very different right now. Instead I thought about what I like to do and what I wanted to do for a career. I discovered that I enjoy writing and found my way into the public relations program. I enjoyed studying the subject very much, but now I have a piece of paper in a frame on my wall proving I have a BA degree and still no idea what I want to do in life. The inevitable has returned again.

Now that I'm in my mid-twenties and have a bachelors degree, I am considering going to a vocational college. I probably still would have remained at the traditional college had I thought about why I was there, but I would have taken more time and put more effort into choosing my major. Why was I at college? Partly because I believed I could make more money with a degree in anything than without one; partly because I enjoyed the social scene and hoped to find someone with whom I could build a family; partly because I enjoy learning. However, the biggest reason I was at college was to find out what I wanted to do with my life. Unfortunately, I was focused on finding the fastest way though college doing something I liked, hoping that by just getting though things would work themselves out. I should have focused on my reason for being at college: answering the second question. I should have taken more introductory classes to more subjects to help me decide what I wanted to do in life. But, I was an impatient 19-year-old who wanted the answer right away.

So, my advice to anyone considering college is to decide early why you are going to college, and focus first on charting a path to achieving that goal. Then worry about what you want to do in life. That way you might save a lot of money by figuring out that you really want to be a mechanic and can get there by becoming an apprentice at a local body shop. College isn't for everyone, and there is no easy way to choose a major. Don't rush through it, because if you do you might miss out on what is most important.

Learn more about this author, Brent Rowse.
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