WHY IS CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAJOR SO IMPORTANT? Two of life s important questions are What will I do for a career? and What major will I choose? If you are reading this guide, you are probably thinking about these questions. We want to challenge you to be intentional in choosing your major and career. Your major is important. Your direction in life is important and these things will shape not only you but also the world. Ephesians 2:10 says For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. (HCSB) Since the beginning of time God has had a specific plan for you and it s all part of His mission. God has specifically wired you. He has called you to use your skills and gifts for the Kingdom. You may be great with children and have a passion for teaching. What if God designed you to use your desire for teaching to live and teach in Istanbul? Maybe you have always had great problem solving skills and can be an engineer on mission in the Congo. Deciding a major in college can lay the foundation for the kind of you God is creating for the rest of your life the kind of you that can take the gospel to the nations using your career. Choosing a major can be a daunting and difficult decision. However, if you seek God s will and are equipped with some of the right questions, you can head to college (or anywhere) with a clear focus on bringing God glory and taking Good News to the nations. The world needs you. Billions of people today have little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many reasons for this tragedy including hostile governments, apathetic believers, misunderstandings about who should go and make disciples and the list goes on. An estimated 42 percent of the people groups of the world are unreached. Traditional missionaries often have limited access to these billions of lost people. While many vocational missionaries still span the globe, 1.4 billion people are still waiting to hear the Gospel. Currently, only a small percentage of the followers of Jesus Christ serve as cross-cultural vocational missionaries. Could it be that we are only reaching some of the world because only a small number of followers of Jesus are on mission? Have we delegated the Great Commission to paid vocational missionaries and ministers only? How can we launch the majority of followers of Jesus Christ to reach the 1.4 billion unreached people of the planet? It will not be through vocational missionaries, but
through people using their careers, skills and gifts to live and work among the unreached on purpose finding jobs and relocating on purpose for the spread of the Gospel. 8 VITAL QUESTIONS FOR CHOOSING A MAJOR There are 8 vital questions that you need to ask as you attempt to choose a major that will allow you to have a real impact for God s Kingdom. These questions are listed below. As you work through these, spend time praying and asking God to guide and direct you. 1) AM I PRAYING AND SEARCHING GOD S WORD FOR HIS WILL? Scripture tells us that God has plans for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Proverbs 16:9, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Psalm 32:8). Be honest with yourself are you looking for them? Am I seriously investing time and concentrated effort into knowing God s word and His will for me? If not, here are some simple steps toward hearing from God: a. Read His word every day and ask Him to speak to you through his word. Looking for a Bible reading plan? Check out http://about.esvbible.org/resources/reading/ for great options. b. Spend time daily in prayer. Ask God to provide you direction. Get to a quiet place and dedicate some time to listening to Him. 2) WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED? We are created for this time in history. Do not ignore this fact. You were born during the time of Twitter, Facebook, global travel and more. Have you considered that God wants you to consider the needs of the day in your career? What career could give you the freedom, skills and flexibility to take the Gospel to people who have never heard? Take time to investigate the most needed careers on the planet. As you investigate, make sure to look for careers that benefit people, not just careers where it is easy to get a job. You can search for these careers online or by talking with a career counselor at your college or university. You can also email cstillwell@skybridgecommunity.com for suggestions of careers that are helpful in sharing the Gospel with the unreached. Suggested Google searches: Most Needed Jobs Jobs That Help the World Jobs in the third world
Careers in need Jobs needed in the future 3) WHAT DO OTHERS SAY I M GOOD AT? Interview 3 leaders who know you well. Ask them to help you discern a good major or career. Ask them the following questions about you. a) What are the types of activity in which I excel? b) In what type of career would I be a good fit? c) What type of career do you think I should avoid? d) What is a career or major that would help me take the Gospel to people who need to hear? Notes from Leader #1 Interview Name: Notes from Leader #2 Interview Name:
Notes from Leader #3 Interview Name: 4) WHAT DO I BELIEVE I M GOOD AT? Be honest. You have had lots of experiences in your life and some of them went well and others did not go well. What has worked for you in the past? List some types of activities or things you have studied in which you excelled: 5) WHAT DO I LIKE TO DO?
What in life gives you joy? What do you love to do? Perhaps it is working on research or teaching. Maybe you love to teach children or solve complicated technical problems. Perhaps you enjoy spending time with people. List activities, subjects or types of ministry that you love: 6) WHAT HAVE I HAD EXPERIENCE WITH? List jobs or activities that you have done that exist in real world jobs: List some types of activities or things you have studied that you truly love: 7) WHAT S MY DREAM IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT?
As small kids we often think of dream careers or ideas. What is your dream? Some are unrealistic, but others may be something that God has planted in your heart. My dream career or major is: 8) WHAT S THE COST AND HAVE I COUNTED IT? Every major or career has a cost. The cost might be to your time, finances, or even your health. For the major you are considering, have you counted the cost? Read Luke 14:26-33. Counting the cost is important if we want to successfully reach our goal. If you are considering a major, find several people working in that field and ask them these 4 questions. a) If you had it to do over again, would you choose this major/career again? Why or why not? b) Would you recommend that I choose this same major? c) What are the benefits of the major/career that you ve chosen? d) What are the challenges to this major/career path? As you have worked through these questions, God has spoken to you. He has helped you have a better idea of careers possibilities, helped you discover how to use these career choices for His Kingdom and also challenged you to focus in prayer on His will. May God bless you as you move forward toward a career that is focused on His Kingdom. If our team can be of any assistance to you as you pray through and choose a major, please contact us at cstillwell@skybridgecommunity.com or call 804.219.1434.
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