What’s the worst thing that can happen to you in college? Failing a class? Missing an assignment? Coming down with a mysterious case of food poisoning from a more than questionable food truck? Dying from lack of sleep or worse, passing out in front of everyone on the rigorous commute from M-lot to class? No, the worst thing that can happen is definitely the realization that you actually hate your major after you’ve already given it what feels like your first-born child and around about a million hours of your life that you’ll never get back, right? Wrong. I’m here to tell you that changing your major might actually be the best thing that can happen to you. If you find yourself second-guessing everything, then this article is for you. I have laid out some key pieces of advice that I think I would have found helpful in my transition from the early grades education program to the communications major.
The first piece of advice I can offer you, which seems the most obvious is simply just to talk to someone. Talk to anyone about the things you are feeling. It’s easy to get caught up in your own thoughts. Talking to a friend, a classmate or a family member and hearing their outside point of view can be extremely helpful. You may find that the case isn’t that you want to change your major, maybe you’re just frustrated with the way things are going – and that’s okay too. Support from another person may be the extra push you need to keep going. Sometimes, you can even find a topic that really interests you just from having a conversation. I found my new major that I love from a casual conversation that I had with one of my previous professors in passing one day on the Quad. Never underestimate the power of communication – because it really is key.
No, the worst thing that can happen is definitely the realization that you actually hate your major after you’ve already given it what feels like your first-born child and around about a million hours of your life that you’ll never get back, right? Wrong.
After you get some outside input, use your resources. Our campus has so many resources to help that students, including myself, don’t know about. One of the best resources is the Career Development Center located in Lawrence Hall. This was one of the first places I visited when I was thinking about switching my major. I sat down with someone who helped me to better evaluate my personality and what career fields would be compatible with it. This helped me to take a step back and think about the things that I really wanted and who I am as a person. If the Career Center doesn’t help you, the center for Exploratory Studies will. They have advisors that know all the courses available and can point you in the right general direction. But, make sure you make an appointment ahead of time; they are very busy! And there’s a reason for that, which brings me to my third point – you are not alone!
Another point that I literally cannot stress enough is that while it may feel like everyone has it together and is on the straight and narrow, the truth is they don’t. There’s no way they could. College is about learning, growing as a person and discovering who you are. College is a time to be selfish and think of the things you want. A lot of times we choose our majors because we feel pressured into them, or we don’t know what else to do. We choose them with other people in mind, when we should be picking them for ourselves. We live in a society that tells us we must go to college and we must do so as soon as we graduate high school. We are forced to create a plan for the rest of our lives when we are only 18 years old. This can seem daunting for even the most equipped person. So, don’t stress and don’t rush. Put things into perspective and remember that you’re not in this alone. More people end up changing their major than you think. Even the most successful and established person had to start from the bottom. The only place to go from the bottom is up, so don’t wait.
Listen to your instincts. Trust your gut. If you’re feeling like your major is not for you, don’t sit around and settle. Make a change right away. Only you know in your heart what you really want. So, don’t question it!
Listen to your instincts. Trust your gut. If you’re feeling like your major is not for you, don’t sit around and settle. Make a change right away. Only you know in your heart what you really want. So, don’t question it! It’s better to change plans now then to be miserable in a career you don’t like later on down the road. The sooner you change your major, the easier it will be to re-adjust and stay on track and the happier you’ll be. You have to do what’s best for you, not for anyone else. Don’t listen to that girl in your one class who swears that she’s known she’s wanted to be a nurse since the day she was born, because chances are, she has second-guessed things at least once in her life. Uncertainty is something that most people find unsettling and often force away –but it’s not all bad. Which brings me to my last point: don’t be afraid.
Uncertainty can be a great thing. It leaves you with a blank canvas that you can paint your own future on. Uncertainty says that nothing is set in stone, and that is something you can at least find some comfort in. Your future is yours to mold into whatever you want and is meant to be a fluid concept. So, treat it as such. Don’t be afraid to change and evolve. If we all stayed the same, the world would be a boring place. Change makes the world go round, so embrace it, because it’s not the worst thing in the world (Crocs are).
Cameron Fluri is a third-year communication studies major. CF870541@wcupa.edu