What Classes Do You Have to Take in College? Choosing Courses with Your Career in Mind
I’m going to make a confession. This is something I’ve never told anyone before. I got to choose courses my freshman year of college, and when it came time to pick a science class, I chose:
Astronomy.
This might not sound like something anyone would ever need to confess to, but now let me tell you why I chose Astronomy.
This is even hard to type, but here it goes:
I chose Astronomy my freshman year of college not because I wanted to be an Astronomer, wanted to have a career path in studying planets or any of that stuff, or had to take it to get credits for my major.
I took Astronomy because I thought girls would like me more if I could pick out constellations in the night sky.
I won’t add any more commentary to that except to say as a freshman in college, there are classes you have to take in college for your major, classes you have to take to graduate, and classes you should take to help you in a future career. Don’t choose courses based on whether or not girls may think it’s cool.
That being said, if you’re looking for help on what classes to choose in college and why you should choose them, you’ve come to the right place (I promise, no Astronomy advice).
Here’s What You’ll Learn After Reading This Article:
How to Know if Courses Are Required for Your Major
What Courses You Should Take With Your Career in Mind
Frequently Asked Questions About College Classes
How to Know If Courses Are Required for Your Major
One of the first things you’ll notice in college is that the course catalog can feel like a giant menu. There are general education classes, electives, major requirements, and sometimes even concentration-specific classes. It’s a lot. So how do you figure out which ones are required for your major and which ones are optional?
Here are a few steps that can help:
Check the degree requirements sheet: Almost every college posts a degree audit or program sheet online. This document lists every class you need to graduate in your major, from freshman year intro classes to senior capstones. Print it out or bookmark it — it’s basically your roadmap.
Meet with your academic advisor: Don’t skip this step. Advisors exist to help you avoid mistakes like accidentally skipping a required class and delaying graduation. They can confirm what’s required, what counts as an elective, and even suggest classes that line up with your career goals.
Look at prerequisites: Required classes often serve as stepping stones for other courses. For example, if you’re a psychology major, “Intro to Psychology” might be required because you’ll need it before you can take advanced courses like “Abnormal Psychology.”
Talk to upperclassmen in your major: Students a few years ahead of you have already figured out the hard way which classes are non-negotiable. A quick conversation can save you headaches down the road.
The bottom line: don’t guess. Knowing your required courses early helps you plan smarter, avoid wasted credits, and leave room for electives that might strengthen your career path.
What College Courses You Should Take With Your Career in Mind
Now that we’ve talked about how to figure out what courses are required and which aren’t, let’s get into what courses you should take in college.
It can be very tempting to take courses that sound fun but are a waste of time and just get you a few general education credits (like Astronomy), but it’s important to consider how valuable your time and money is. That being said, here are a few courses you should take that will benefit you in your career:
#1: A Public Speaking or Communication Course
If you don’t take a public speaking or communications course in the four years you’re in college, you have done something wrong.
No matter what career path you’re planning to go down, being able to communicate is essential. Try and think of one job that doesn’t involve communicating with anyone — it’s almost impossible.
I can still remember one of my public speaking courses when I was in college (I actually took some worthwhile courses) and how it helped me build confidence by practicing. My professor would make us write down how long our speech would be, and if it didn’t land in between the 10-second window of time we gave her, we failed. Seemed harsh, but it was a great way to get good at timing out speeches.
What You’ll Get From a Public Speaking Course:
It will help you build confidence in yourself.
It will help you figure out your crutch words and how to stop relying on them when you speak.
It will help you get real-time feedback on how you connect with an audience when speaking.
What You’ll Get From a Communications Course:
You’ll learn how to make connections with people.
You’ll learn how to build relationships.
You’ll learn how to communicate through both writing and speaking.
Out of all the courses listed in this post, if you could only choose one of them, this would be it.
#2: A Writing Skills Course
You may be thinking, “I don’t need to know how to write, I have ChatGPT.”
This is true, and ChatGPT can write amazing things about virtually any topic there is, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a writing course in college.
Why?
Because even if you are going to let ChatGPT write for you, you still need to know whether or not the writing you’re getting from ChatGPT is good.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had ChatGPT try to write something for me, and it comes out not making sense. Whether it’s a joke that it’s not able to tell or sentence structure that doesn’t quite sound right, you as the human need to be able to know what other humans want to read.
What You’ll Learn in a Writing Course:
How to write persuasively.
How to write creatively.
Best practices for writing communications.
#3: A Psychology or Sociology Course
Understanding — or at least trying to understand — people is a good idea. It’s essential for building relationships in your personal and professional life.
That’s where taking a psychology or sociology course comes in. While you might hear that they are useless or waste-of-time majors, taking a course or two in one of these is beneficial.
Let’s break down what you’ll learn from each:
Taking a Psychology Course – Understand how the brain works (on a high level) and understand people from an individual standpoint.
Taking a Sociology Course – Study how groups of people work (males, females, Gen Z, Gen Y…you get the picture).
Having a foundational understanding of these two courses will certainly help you down the road, even if in the moment you might not think you need it.
#4: A Statistics or Data Analytics Course
Your first reaction to hearing the word statistics might be “ew,” and that’s fine, but believe it or not, statistics will be involved in just about anything you do.
I thought statistics in school was extremely boring. Then, I got into the working world and started blogging. I wanted to know everything about who was reading the blogs, how often, etc. That’s when I realized:
I actually do care about statistics, because it’s something that applies to me now.
Reviewing, and I’ll say another scary word… analyzing, statistics are extremely important skills, so taking a course during college will get you familiar with that world. It may not be the most exciting thing to learn about, but believe me, you’ll be happy you took it.
Frequently Asked Questions About College Courses
Q: What are the best college courses to take if I’m undecided about my major?
A: If you’re unsure of your major, start with general education courses that count toward most degree requirements — like English composition, math, history, and science. You can also explore introductory classes in psychology, business, computer science, or communications to discover your interests while still making progress toward graduation.
Q: Which college courses are the most useful for getting a job after graduation?
A: Employers value skills over majors, so courses that build critical thinking, communication, and technical skills are especially useful. Classes in writing, data analysis, computer science, public speaking, and business basics can give you an edge no matter what field you go into.
Q: What college courses should every student take, no matter their career path?
A: Regardless of your major, consider taking courses in financial literacy, writing and communication, computer skills, and critical thinking. These are highly transferable skills that employers look for, and they’ll also help you in everyday life outside of school.
What to Do Next After Reading This
Now that you have some background on what courses you should take, which are required and which aren’t, it’s time to get connected with your college advisor or counselor.
Talk to them about what courses would be right for you depending on your major, goals, etc.
If you aren’t sure how to get started, your friends and expert Career Coaches at Your Career Strategy are here to help. Click here to get set up with a free discovery call to help you get all of your questions answered.
We know you can do it. Good luck!