In college? Here’s some advice about picking a major from the book “How to Survive Your Freshman Year” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who've done it:

“Talking to seniors is a good way to help you decide on your major. I didn’t know any seniors when I was a freshman, but it would have been nice. Sophomore year I talked to seniors who told me what kinds of jobs they were getting, who was getting hired and who wasn’t, and who was getting the kinds of jobs they wanted and who was having to settle. That was useful.”

Katharine, Stanford University, junior

“Figure out your major early on, as opposed to busily trying to satisfy all of your college requirements. Often, some of the classes that fall in your major curriculum of studies double as the core required classes.”

“I’m taking a variety of classes before I declare my major. I recommend that, especially if you’re unsure about what you want to do.”

“Take a variety of courses. Something inside tells you where to go and you need to follow that feeling. If you don’t follow that feeling, you’re going to run into some real trouble.”

— Phillip N. Albertson, University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1996 graduate

“My school allows you to create your major, which is inspiring, but you need a lot of persistence to make it happen—there’s no blueprint in forging your own path. I want to major in advertising, so I’m running around, talking to my counselor, meeting with teachers to see which classes are appropriate, and working with administrators to get clearance. The payoff is that one day I’ll have the same job as Mel Gibson in ‘What Women Want’!”

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.