Updated November 6, 2025
What follows is the truth about how college majors connect to careers.
Most College Majors Don't Offer Specific Preparation for a Single Type of Work
Instead, they educate you and help (along with your activities, work, etc.) make up the personal package that can enable you to become anything you want to be. Majors don't limit you to one type of work. For example, if you major in nursing, history, engineering, English, or many other majors, you might nevertheless choose to become a bank manager, sales representative, career counselor, production manager, or pursue several other career fields.
Your awareness of the relationship between career fields and college majors can play a vital part in your choice of academic major, minor, and elective courses.
The Relationship Between College Majors to Career Fields Varies
Obviously, some career choices dictate that you choose a specific undergraduate major. If you want to be a nurse, you must major in nursing. Engineers major in engineering. Architects major in architecture. There is no other way to be certified as a nurse, engineer, or architect.
However, most career fields don't require a specific major, and people with specific majors don't have to use them in the ways most expected.
The Choice of a Major is Only One Factor in Determining Your Future Job Prospects and Career Path
Your grades, the electives you choose, and the skills you acquire through your course work often tell employers more about what you have to offer them than does your major.
Furthermore, other factors such as your personal traits, your goals, your experiences (jobs, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, internships, EXTERNships), and your knowledge of a demonstrated interest in a career field play a large part in determining an employer's response to you.