DR. WALLACE: As a recent high school graduate, I'm headed off to a local state university this fall. Several of my friends have already selected their majors and know exactly what they want to study in college for their careers.

I haven't made any decision yet, and my friends are split evenly on what I should do. Half of them feel I should relax and try a variety of classes and not worry about a major for a year or two. However, other friends feel I should spend the summer vigorously studying what potential career paths I wish to pursue so that I can "hit the ground running" when I start college this fall. On top of the opinions I've received from friends, my favorite aunt suggested to me that I don't select any general major at all but seek to take more generalized fields of study.

If I want to follow my aunt's advice, what are the best majors to consider that will provide me the most overall flexibility when it comes time to find a career job? — Undecided at This Point, via email

UNDECIDED AT THIS POINT: Interestingly, your friends are split pretty much evenly on this topic, and I'll also give your aunt credit for her interesting suggestion as well.

I feel the two most "middle of the road" majors that you can select, which will provide you the most opportunity to fit into various career paths, would be either business administration or communications.

Learning the structure of how the business world works applies to almost every type of business imaginable. Fundamental business principles apply across a plethora of job opportunities. Similarly, a communication degree would be useful for countless jobs as well.

This field does not involve only your direct personal communications, but how a company, organization, charity, or foundation wishes to present itself to the world, via news conferences, press releases, conference calls, and interactions with the public, press and media of all sorts. Studying the field of communications will dovetail nicely into a wide variety of future job opportunities.

WHY DID HE TAKE OFF?

DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 years old, and unfortunately for me, I'm part of a really great family, and I have a nice life.

But I feel really sad for my cousin who lives two states over from us. This cousin has been in and out of trouble, and our family has been aware that the whole life he lives has not been good for some time.

My parents mentioned to me that he has run away from home twice and that once he was gone for over three weeks! I tried to ask a lot of questions about why he left and what's going on with his family, but I only got short, general answers.

Why do some teenagers run away from home? — I Feel So Sad for Him, via email

I FEEL SO SAD FOR HIM: Obviously, your parents know more than they're telling you, and they probably wish to shield you from some perhaps difficult details about their family situation.

There are many reasons why teenagers leave their family home and head out to the streets, and of course, none of them are good. They can range from disruption within the family, such as the threat of divorce or actual divorce, to even a serious illness within the family.

I've heard teens also mention sad tales of abuse, neglect and what they feel to be unreasonable restrictions and demands. Not being able to live up to these expectations, they see taking off as their only escape.

There are even some situations where a teenager will run away from home because he or she is joining a friend who has also decided to run away, and they each seek safety and comfort in each other. Hopefully, your cousin's family situation can be brought under control at some point soon. Instead of asking your parents for specific details, the next time this topic comes up in conversation, you might ask if there's anything you could do to help the situation in any way.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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