What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question that has been asked every year beyond kindergarten; however, within four years of college, students are expected to solidify their answers.

For incoming freshmen, this decision can be unclear when beginning college.

Approximately 12 percent of this year’s freshman class is undeclared. However, there are almost as many freshmen who have declared their major as nursing.

Izel Leon, freshman from Murray, wasn’t always interested in nursing.

“My previous goal was to be a pediatrician,” Leon said. “But it costs a lot and takes a lot of time.”

After comparing the two fields, Leon decided that nursing was related to her interests. She also said Murray had a great nursing program and allowed her to stay close to home.

“If you like where you are, then why leave?” Leon said.

She is also minoring in Spanish because being bilingual in the healthcare profession can lead to a pay increase and more job opportunities, she said.

Other students claim they chose their majors based on the change they wish to see in the world.

Joao Gabriel Salvi Martins is studying abroad from Brazil and majoring in environmental engineering.

“The world needs more technological advances to preserve nature from destruction,” Salvi Martins said.

Another reason students might be enticed to choose a career in nursing or engineering is the rate at which jobs are appearing in those fields. However, that doesn’t limit jobs in other areas as well.

There are more than 140 majors at Murray State. Elementary education and animal technology/veternarian technology/pre-veternarian rounded out the third and fourth top major.

However, some majors had less than ten declared students.

These majors were athletic training, occupational safety and health/environmental health and safety, social work, middle school education, agricultural science, history and computer information systems.

Students may lack adequate information about what career path to take. To get information on which major suits a student’s personality and skills, they can contact the Career Services office for help.

Ross Meloan, director of Career Services, as well as the rest of Career Services staff have been trained in interpreting theoretical, philosophical, personality and other qualities of students.

With this information, along with links on the Career Service website, each student’s path to their career is tailored to their own interests and needs.

“Many students are urged to select majors when they should probably remain undeclared so that they can explore what we offer,” Meloan said.

There are multiple resources online to find and choose a major, discover internships and take career assessment tests.

Some students will stay with their declared major throughout college while others may change more than once.

“It takes about nine months for students to find the job that they like, where they like and for the pay that they want,” Meloan said.

Take advantage of the resources at Murray State so that major life decisions become easy choices.

Story by Tiffany Whitfill, Staff writer