Picking a major can be a chore that starts from already in high school. You need to consider a lot of things when choosing a major. You cannot just pick it and get over it as your prospective career may depend on it. And while it may seem that you have a perfect plan that you are going to follow, you may change your mind with time.
Right now you think that as your college years will start, you’re going to work hard and shape your future. But things may take a dramatic turn. The education process may turn out to be harder than you think. After all, it’s not as easy as it was in school. Besides, there are other factors that can contribute to your studying decline.
You may feel uncomfortable on campus. Your tuition costs may turn out too high, so you find an odd job to pay for it. And while you can find the best essay writer service to get help with your writing assignments, you may find combining work and studying too hard, which will contribute to creating an irresponsible attitude.
Finally, as you study, you may find yourself disillusioned with the major that you’re pursuing. You end up feeling trapped, studying for the profession you no longer want. Is there a way to avoid it? You can pursue a double major. Majoring in two subjects simultaneously may be hard, but it brings you more opportunities. Let’s check out the main benefits of getting a second major.
Getting More for Your Money
While it may seem that doing a double major is more expensive, you actually get more from your education for less money.
Aside from the fact that you save some budget on tuition costs, you are saving your time as well. You are getting more knowledge from the same two to five years of your college, instead of dedicating around ten years of your life to pursuing two single majors separately. That alone makes pursuing a double major worth it.
Learning More
Majoring in two subjects allows you to broaden your horizons. After all, you can major in computer science and philosophy, or business and foreign languages. Thus, you’ll be taking several courses in two different fields. You have a chance to develop the necessary skills related to each field of your studies.
But you don’t have to choose similar majors. You can pick two polar subjects to major in. Let’s say, you can pick a major in law for your career, and in English literature simply because you’re passionate about the subject. The second major doesn’t necessarily have something to do with your career but can be related to your hobbies and interests.
Standing Out in Your Field
Regardless of which field you are going to choose, when it comes to getting employed, the market is highly competitive. The double major allows you to stand out from the competition. A lot of students work hard to get a degree, but majoring in two subjects is a great accomplishment, which shows that you worked harder than most of your peers.
A double major allows you to make a positive impression on your future employers. Thus, you have better chances of getting jobs after graduation. While contradicting the previous point, career-wise it is better to pick two majors that complement one another for this specific purpose.
Flexible Career Opportunities
Majoring in two subjects simultaneously makes your career opportunities more flexible. On the one hand, you have the necessary skills for two different professions. If you majored in computer science and business, you can pursue a career in business development as well as in software development or machine learning.
On the other hand, you can search for more advanced jobs that require wider skills and knowledge. Let’s not go far from the first example, majoring in business and computer science, you can seek jobs that require skills in both business and technology.
Getting a double major allows exploring various opportunities in either of the fields. It ensures that you have more career options than most of your peers. Moreover, you can always change a career path. Got bored working as a loan officer or business administrator? Switch to software development.
Enhancing Your Time Management Skills
Aside from all the obvious career-related opportunities that a double major provides you with, it gives you more. When you check out the requirements for the majority of job positions, you will surely find “time management skills” on the list. And majoring in two subjects demands having great time management skills.
If you think that you have lousy time management skills, don’t worry, a double major will force you into perfecting them. You will learn how to keep track of every assignment, project, and exam for each major. It will lead to you developing perfect study habits, and you will learn how to manage your time and plan things ahead.
While all that may not seem that exciting, those skills will be crucial for your prospective career. You know how to prioritise your tasks so that each of them is finished on time.
Disadvantages of Double Major
Despite all the benefits listed above, majoring in two subjects has certain disadvantages, which you should consider before opting for a double major. The most obvious drawback is that you may get exhausted quickly, which can have a negative impact on your physical and mental state. Other disadvantages include:
- Missing out on internships
- Having less time for exploring your interests
- Taking extra time to keep up with the course load
- Little to no time for extracurricular activities
- Majors may interfere with one another
While, at first glance, all those drawbacks can be solved with time management skills, you need to think twice. Sometimes, it’s better to take one major, and then switch to another, if you are dissatisfied with the first one.
Final Thoughts
Now, you know the pros and cons of majoring in two subjects. On the one hand, it promises wider career opportunities. On the other hand, however, you may end up absolutely overwhelmed with the workload. If you are not sure whether to go for a double major, you can always seek advice from your counsellor at the college.
