Hi Jessica! Sorry for such a delayed response to this. Rachel and I have been on winter break for the past couple of weeks, so we weren’t at our computers very much.
First I want to say, it’s totally normal for you to still feel lost when it comes to picking a major in college. There’s so much pressure to make the right decision (and most of that pressure we put on ourselves!), so it can make you feel paralyzed by indecision. This is SUCH a common challenge, and you’re definitely not alone in feeling this way. In fact, I’ll bet most of the students at your school feel this way! I know I did when I was 18.
You’ve clearly already learned so much about what you want and what you value from this course (and from other sources, like the Myers-Briggs), and I can tell you from coaching hundreds of people by now … you’re so much farther along than you think you are! You’re asking deep questions that many people never start asking until their 20s, 30s, or even older! You may not feel like it right now, but you’re ahead of the game. 🙂
As you’re considering potential majors, I want you to make a list of the options you’re most considering. Then run each option through the filter of the values you listed above. For example, if you’re considering accounting, ask yourself, “From what I know of accounting jobs, will that path allow me to feel fulfillment, balance, connection, creativity, stability…” Think about the job itself, as well as the lifestyle it would allow you to live (including money, time freedom, learning potential, etc.). If you don’t have enough information, you don’t necessarily have to get an internship if you don’t have time for that (which I’m sure you don’t, as a student athlete!), but try to set up a few informational interviews with professors or other people who are already working in those fields. Ask the questions you most want to know the answers to, so that you can get enough info to determine if that path is likely to align with your top values.
Also, it can help to paint a visual mental picture of your ideal job. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to clarify that (remember, you’re describing your IDEAL job):
– Are you working alone or with other people?
– If you are working with others, are you in charge of them? Collaborating with them? Supporting/serving them?
– How many people are around? How big is the company you’re working for?
– What’s the setting like? Describe the work culture.
– What are your work hours like?
– How much solo work vs. collaborative work are you doing? How is your time split between the two?
– How important is the “why” or mission of the company?
– Would you rather be an expert in something or be a jack-of-all-trades who gets to try different things on new projects?
– What kinds of things are you doing during the day? Writing? Traveling? Running meetings? Being artistic? Brainstorming? Building something? Etc.
Hope that helps!