Picking the right college major is important for so many reasons. Switching later in your education can delay graduation, increase costs and ultimately have a large impact on your happiness. You’ve heard the general tips: play to your strengths, study what you love and aim for degrees that will actually get you hired, but sometimes it is difficult to put those tips into practice. These three simple principles will help you gauge the right major before it’s time to pick, and they’ll help you make the most of your college experience along the way.

Get Good Advice

Most colleges will require you to speak with an advisor before picking your schedule. This is a great starting place, but it’s nowhere near enough. If you have an idea of what you might like to do, talk to some juniors or seniors in that major to get a really good idea of what the classes will really be like. Also, find some people who actually work in the field to set realistic expectations. You might be tempted to talk to college professors, but remember that they actually work in academia. Find some real professionals and strike up a conversation. You can even turn it into a project for your intro classes to get some useful credit for your efforts.

Network

The previous advice is only possible if you learn this trick along the way. You have to get out there and meet people in order to get their advice. While you’re at it, you can forge some meaningful connections that can turn into great friendships and potential professional assets later in life. Most importantly, this skill is by far the most important thing you can learn in college. It’s the key to getting ahead in any professional environment, and it’ll set you up for success.

Diversify Your Experience

This strategy will help you develop your networking skills. The starting point is to take some introductory courses in fields you think are the right fit. It’ll give you useful insight into the college experience. If you want to know about professional life though, you need to go to events and participate in clubs. Doing so will give you a chance to contact alumni who work in these fields, opening the doors for the previous pieces of advice. All in all, your key to success is to keep an open mind, meet lots of people and have a great time while you do it.