Don’t worry if you’ve already changed your major more than you’ve changed your bed sheets. No one is perfect. Here are three simple steps to help you choose a college major that will inspire, guide and propel you toward future success.

Step #1: Use your goals as your guide

What are your goals after college? Do you want to land a great job, go to graduate school or join the Peace Corp? Knowing what you want to do next is an important step in choosing your college major.

My post-graduate goals were very clear. I wanted to go to medical school. I learned from our college counseling center that chemistry majors had the highest acceptance rate into medical school. So I became chemistry major and got accepted.

Lesson Learned: Stacking the deck in your favor is always a smart way to begin the process of picking your perfect major.

Step #2: Play to your academic strengths

Choosing a major in which you can demonstrate strong academic success is much more important than choosing a major that “looks right” on your resume. The straight ‘A’ history major has a far better chance of landing a corporate job than the straight ‘C’ finance major.

Choosing a major that plays to your academic strength is an essential, but not sufficient part of the process. I’ve met many successful professionals who let their academic ability dictate their career paths. They picked a major based solely on their abilities. Their abilities propelled them to graduate school, and graduate school propelled them into a career they hated.

Lesson learned: Play to your academic strengths but never at the exclusion of your interests.

Step #3: Factor your interests into the equation

Your interests are what give you energy. They are what fuel your passion for your work. They are what get you out of bed on a dark winter morning at 8 a.m. to attend a class you love.

Picking your major without factoring your interests into the equation is a surefire recipe for post-college disaster. It’s true, you can still have a successful career, but you surely won’t have a very satisfying one.

The happiest professionals I know found the right combination between their interests and their abilities. The same is true for choosing a college major.

Lesson Learned: Your perfect college major lies at the intersection of what you love doing and what you do well. Keep looking until you find it.

Good News: The Pew Research Center tells us that 38% of all Millennials (people born 1982-2000) have a tattoo. Trust me, choosing a major is far less painful than getting a tattoo. So don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time. Your college major doesn’t have to be permanent. I can’t say the same for your tattoo.

You might also be interested in:

1. Did you pick the right major?
2. Most overrated college choice: Your major
3. Picking a Major: Passion or a Possible Profession?
4. Millennial Advisor – Thoughts on Choosing a Major
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