Majors That Best Align With the Top Five Career Paths
College is the prime time to discover who you are, who you want to be, and what you want your life to look like after graduation. With a plethora of options regarding college majors, it can be very overwhelming to decipher which option will actually help get you closer to your career aspirations.
The top five occupations that people in the United States tend to lean towards after they graduate college are Law/Business, Nursing, Education, Agriculture, and various types of Engineering. With these in mind, you will find that many different majors will allow you to not only enjoy your learning, but gain beginner experience in the field that you wish to pursue. To decide which one is best for you, there are a few factors to consider: one being, if you’re pursuing a Master’s, Doctorate, Law or Medical degree, or if you can find a job solely with your Bachelor’s degree. Below, we have listed some of the best majors to choose from if you’re interested in any of these occupations. Most are pretty flexible and there’s a plethora of majors available for you to choose from based on your own interests.
Note: we recommend meeting with an advisor beforehand and exploring other options beyond these five career paths!
Law/Business
Majors that fit the best if you’re keen on going to law school after you receive your undergraduate degree, open up your own business, or work in administrative marketing are as follows:
Sales, Distribution, Marketing Operations
Business administration and management
Accounting
International/Global Studies
Communication
If you want to pursue a law degree, you can actually decide on any major that truly interests you. What is most important is that you get a high GPA and study for the LSAT in order to get an above-average score.
Nursing/Medicine
Majors that are best suited for you if you want to pursue a career in nursing or become a doctor are as follows:
Biomedical Sciences
Health & Wellness
Biology
Nutrition
Public Health
Chemistry
This career path does not allow for as much wiggle room as most career paths do, since medical schools require some prior understanding and education in the sciences.
Education
Majors that fit the best if you want to become a teacher, professor, and or work in the administrative field of education:
Child Development
Education
History
Language classes
Communication
English
Luckily, these career paths allow MANY different major options. The most obvious choice would be to major in education or something that correlates with what you plan on teaching, but ultimately you can choose any kind of major that you feel is interesting!
Agriculture
Majors that fit the best if you want to work in agriculture:
Agricultural Economics
Agribusiness
Animal Husbandry
Animal Sciences
Applied Horticulture
If you want to go into agriculture, your major will have to be a bit more specific and geared toward what you will ultimately be doing in that field. There are still many options, but to go into the agricultural field, it would be best to have prior knowledge.
Engineering
Majors that fit the best if you want to pursue work in engineering:
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Ocean Engineering
Computer Engineering
As you can see, there are many different aspects of engineering that you can go into and major in. For this career, we recommend doing research on which kind of engineering you think you’d most enjoy, search and apply for internships, and figure out which sect of engineering is the best fit for you.
Overall, there are so many options available when choosing what to major in. Just make sure you select something that you truly enjoy while also working on what you want to pursue for your future career. Do plenty of research so that you can confidently appreciate what you are studying, make good grades, and utilize the knowledge for higher education or your job after you graduate. We wish you the best of luck!
Written by Ashley Alvarado & Jewel Day, Photography by August Nennmann, Design by Alyssa Hoppie