Some the most difficult decision you've made

         

Choose a College Major

The first big decision you'll probably have to make in your young adult life is which college—or, even earlier, high school—to go to, but that might also depend on the area you're interested in studying. Overall, college rankings aren't that dependable, so the more important question might be: what do you want to major in? Explore multiple majors in your early years, consider your job prospects, and do some other detective work to make the best college major choice you can (given the information you have at the time). It might also be worth knowing the difference in income for different college majors.

Decide on a Career

 College majors and degrees often correlate with occupation, but not always (see every English major like myself who isn't doing something directly related to English literature). Degree or not, at one point or another you're going to have to decide what to do with your life. We've just started our career spotlight series so you can get an insider view of what working in different occupations is like, but more generally, here are the things you should consider when deciding which career path to go in

 Make a Career Change

 Or maybe it's time to jump ship to a different, more rewarding career. (Most people change careers more than once in their lifetime.) These are the things you should know before making the switch—not just income changes but also whether you have the skills and experience to hit the ground running. Switching careers is a huge decision, but inspiring stories of people going to medical school in their forties or otherwise realizing their calling later in life remind us that changing a career can definitely be worth it if you can focus on work you love

Go Back to School or Get an Advanced Degree

 If you're making a career change, you might want or need to go back to school. Or you might be considering grad school to advance your career. This calculator tells you if grad school is financially worth it, and these are the things you should think about if you're considering going back to school (in some cases, you can keep your job and attend classes at the same time—maybe even getting reimbursed for them—which makes the decision a whole lot easier.)

 Who to Go on a Date With

 Each individual date might not be a big deal or a big decision, but who knows if that person you ask out for the first time or say yes to dating will turn into your lifelong partner? Try to set realistic expectations when going on a first date, be careful when dating a coworker, and perhaps do some internet sleuthing to find out more about your next date. If you're curious about using online dating services, here's our FAQ on the subject.

Get Married or Not

Then there's marriage, hitching yourself up to another person for (ideally) the rest of your life. Here are some of the questions you should ask yourself before saying yes to marriage, what I wish I had known before getting married, the secrets of the happiest couples, and the mathematical formula for deciding whom to marry (basically date 38.6 percent of the people willing to date you and then choose your partner from further dates that are better than that pool of previous dates. If only marriage was that easy.)