English

You're in an interview for a job or internship and your interviewer asks: "Why did you choose your major?"

man shrugging

Do you have an answer ready?

Answers To Avoid

Don't say you never thought about why you chose your particular major.

Or that you just ended up with it because you had enough credits in that subject area to graduate.

guy saying to interviewers "It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care."

Those are both fine reasons, but they're not the best way to impress your potential employer.

Prepare An Effective Answer

Smiling jesus saying "stay relevant"

Think about:

  • what led you to choose your major

  • any projects or courses thatapply to the job you are interviewing for

  • how what you learned or worked on relates to the job

Did you know?

This Byte was created by a volunteer professional that wanted to share this insight to help you succeed - no agenda, no cost.

Scenarios

Let's say you're interviewing for an entry level tech support role.

Woman in front of a computer saying "everything is gonna be just fine, probably."

Scenario #1

"I majored in information technology because I love computers."

Talk about your passion for computers and any projects that may have helped you understand why users are frustrated with technology.

angry office worker smashing his computer with a keyboard

Scenario #2

"I majored in psychology because I wasn't sure what to study and it seemed like something I could apply to different careers."

Talk about any classes or concepts you found interesting that relate to human-computer interaction or de-escalating tactics.

Subscribe for more quick bites of learning delivered to your inbox.

Unsubscribe anytime. No spam. 🙂

Take Action

guying flexing is fingers outwards

Next time you're interviewing and get asked about why you chose your major, talk about:

License:

Your feedback matters to us.

This Byte helped me better understand the topic.

New Bytes

We publish fresh Bytes daily, we can send you a notification when that happens.