大学新生手册:选专业 莫着急
Many freshmen feel anxious about their majors. Most believe that their major will determine their future: what they do and how much they get paid.
许多大一新生患上"专业焦虑症"，他们大都认为，专业决定未来：做什么？赚多少？
So what happens if you don't like your major, or know nothing about its career prospects? What are your options?
那么，如果你不喜欢自己的专业，或是对其职业前景一无所知，该如何是好？你能够做些什么呢？
Experts advise students not to panic. Worrying about their choice of major causes most first-year students stress, according to Bai Jing, an instructor at Shantou University.
专家建议，学生不必惊慌。来自汕头大学的教师白京（音译）说，许多大一新生都因为担心自己所选的专业而倍感压力。
"There are always a few students who arrive on campus knowing exactly what they want from their major and what their career ambitions are, but the majority just don't know or only have a vague idea," he said.
"尽管少数新生一入校就很清楚自己想从所选专业中学到什么、知道自己的职业理想；但是大多数人都对此一无所知，或只有一个模糊的想法。"他说。
"There is no need to rush to a conclusion on whether you like your major or not or if it suits you."
"没必要急着去断定你是否喜欢自己的专业，或者该专业是否适合自己。"
Instead, students should devote their time and energy to fully exploring their academic and career interests. This should take priority over decisions such as changing your major.
取而代之，学生应该多花点时间和精力来全面发掘自己的学术和职业兴趣。这才是他们当下的重点，而不是去做出转专业之类的决定。
In practical terms this means that if a student has no idea what he or she want to do, they should first narrow the focus from all possible majors down to a few selected areas.
实际上，这意味着如果学生不清楚自己想要什么，他们首先应该缩小范围，将所有可能的专业浓缩成少数几个精选领域。
Luo Jialiang, 21, a junior who changed his major from electronic engineer to law in his first year at Fudan University, shared his experience.
21岁的罗嘉亮（音译）就读于复旦大学三年级，大一时从电子工程转到了法律专业的他分享了自己的经验。
"Ask yourself these questions: What things excite you most? What jobs or careers appeal to you?"
"问问你自己以下几个问题：什么事情最让你激动？什么工作或职业最吸引你？"
He recommends that if students are indecisive they take a career assessment. Career centers on campus usually offer this service in addition to a variety of personality tests.
他建议，如果学生还在犹豫不决，可以选择去参加一次职业评估。校园就业指导中心通常会提供职业评估、性格测试等服务。
Once a student has figured out his or her interests, they need to examine their abilities and make sure they can handle the study and work assignments in this field.
一旦学生找到了兴趣所在，他们就需要考量个人能力，以确保可以应付该专业领域的学习任务。
"Think about what your weaknesses and strengths are, such as logical reasoning," he said.
"想想自己的弱点和长处分别是什么，比如逻辑推理能力。"他说道。
Cai Xiaoming, a biology professor at Peking University, reminds students that many choose certain majors just to follow the crowd. But without talking to teachers or practitioners in the field, they seldom get the right picture.
北京大学生物学教授蔡晓明提醒学生，许多人选专业只是随大流，并未与该专业领域的老师或从业者交流沟通，对于这些专业他们知之甚少。
"Some consider the biology major to be of little use as you can hardly earn big money; others think they can go abroad with this major," he said. "Both are unrealistic."
"一些学生认为生物专业几乎没什么用，很难赚大钱；另一些学生则认为选择该专业将来可以出国。"他说，"这两种想法都有些不切实际。"
Students should be patient and not make any hasty decisions. Some universities offer double majors, or even triple majors, if you really can't decide.
学生们应该耐下心来，切忌草率做出决定。如果你真的难以抉择，一些大学还开设了双学位甚至三学位课程。
Hao Jian, a senior human resources consultant at Zhaopin.com, a leading HR service site, says that a college major is important for a person's first job after graduation.
智联招聘高级人力资源顾问郝建表示认为，大学专业对学生毕业后的第一份工作至关重要。
But he also points out that studies show most people change careers four or five times in their lives.
但他也指出，相关研究表明，大多数人在一生中要换四至五次职业。
"No existing major can prepare you for that," he said. "And you should believe that all things you learn on campus will be of help at some point in your life."
"没有任何现有专业可以为此做准备，"他说道，"你要相信，你在学校所学的一切都会在生命中的某些时刻助你一臂之力。"
