How to Choose a Major?
A long time ago, I was driving to pick up my kids from school when I heard a piece on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” about how to choose a major for college in tough economic times. This was back during the recession of 2008 and 2009. The piece was headlined by a professor of labor statistics, whose basic argument is that students need to consider the return on investment (ROI) when choosing a college major. They need to understand, he argued, that certain fields will have a bigger payoff. Health care was one of his primary examples: the industry is booming, so his advice was to head for jobs in that sector.
As I listened, the piece grated on me because only one viewpoint was represented here. Specifically, the viewpoint is the idea that education is primarily about getting a job. What was missing was the perspective of those who see education as an edifying experience, who believe that “training the brain” to be nimble, and to be able to “learn how to learn” are the chief values of education (for an explanation of this alternative point of view, see this post).
Technology Disruption Impacts Job Creation and College Major Demand
Furthermore, many observers (Thomas Friedman, Daniel Pink) have pointed out that many of today’s top-earning jobs didn’t exist ten years ago. And while the professor identified healthcare as a good field to head for, we can also bet that the healthcare industry may undergo tectonic shifts in the next decade (hello, Artificial Intelligence).
Speaking of AI, a Computer Science undergraduate degree was once viewed as a ticket to, at a minimum, a stable and well-paying job that delivered a tremendous ROI. However, that theory is now in question as AI evolves, disrupting jobs such as software development.
Software Development Job Postings on Indeed
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
This ‘AI Threat’ to computer programming is now making families begin to question the ROI of a Computer Science major. The most recent enrollment trend data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates that for the first time in a very long time, the number of Computer Science majors at 4-year colleges and universities declined in 2025. In fact, it decreased a surprisingly large 8% year-over-year to just over 600,000 undergraduates majoring in the computer science field. This compares to a 7% increase in Engineering majors to over 680,000 and an almost 6% increase in Healthcare Services to over 1,000,000 undergraduate majors.
How to choose a major in college
As shown above, technology disruptions have and will continue to impact the careers we thought we would have as we declared our college majors.
I think more people should be having this sort of conversation about what education means in the 21st century. While there is no getting around the fact that we all need to earn a living and that our educational backgrounds do–in a very real sense–prepare us for our economic success and social contributions. A purely instrumental view of education can be self-defeating.
New industries and jobs are created and some disappear
When you choose a major, look through the course guides of the potential list of colleges where you are interested in applying. It is important that you have the flexibility to take general courses in areas that provide tools to help you think for yourself and be a multi-disciplinary problem solver.
- For example, does it really make sense to spend a bunch of money to educate oneself to read and interpret X-rays, when much of that work can be outsourced and AI is being trained to improve on human findings?
- Or does it make sense to get a degree in accounting or pursue a career in law? LLMs are being trained on accounting standards and legal precedent so that much of the ‘grunt’ work done by associates can be automated.
- It’s amusing to think that the translation industry used to be a multi-billion dollar field. But, technology has essentially replaced the human worker and so an American with a Masters degree in Chinese language needs to use this knowledge in another industry.
Your education should provide the skills to adapt
The fact is that as we decide upon our major, we have to realize that the economic landscape is going to change. The professional preparation we begin in college is only the start. We have to continue to learn, modulate, and roll with the times. The labor market is going to evolve, and some jobs that pay well today may pay poorly tomorrow. Or vice versa.
So in counseling our clients about their majors, we really try to hone in on the student’s aptitudes and passions: what sort of domains of knowledge to they really enjoy? What interests them? Then I spend time talking about appropriate learning environments. Because college is really about learning–and not merely about acquiring knowledge.
How do you choose a major? Do you pick a college major that seems best for getting a great job right out of college? Or do you prepare for the long term? The economy is always shifting, and industries come and go. Perhaps it is best to choose a major that will build skills and knowledge and habits of mind that will serve you throughout your life.
Need help with your college admissions journey?
And if you need help in thinking about how to choose a major that is right for you, get in touch with us. The team of counselors at Great College Advice have years of experience guiding students toward their academic and professional goals.
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