Changing Your Major Isn't As Scary As You Think | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Changing Your Major Isn't As Scary As You Think

While it may be a little scary, changing your major might be the best idea for you in the long run.

17
Changing Your Major Isn't As Scary As You Think
https://www.piqsels.com/en/public-domain-photo-zdkol

Ever since high school, I had a pretty detailed plan for my life laid out in front of me. Or so I thought. I had always loved playing pretend doctor with my stuffed animals and dolls, so without any hesitations at all I chose the pre-medicine path pretty early on. I figured out that I would major in biology once I got to college, and do everything I could to boost my resume and get into med school. I had even mapped out the years after college too. Four years in med school, 3 years in residency, and a year in speciality before I could even begin my career.

The excruciatingly hard classes, eight years of post-grad schooling, and tremendous amount of debt that all came along with being a doctor never seemed to phase me. I wanted to help people, and becoming a doctor seemed to be the best way for me to do that. I had never considered any other options because I knew that going pre-med was the only career path for me. Once again, or so I thought.

Upon coming to college, I met so many people with so many interesting sounding majors. I learned about careers and majors that I had never even heard of before, such as criminology and animal and dairy sciences. I had never considered other options for my major, so I found it fascinating to ask people of and about theirs.

I started to question my choice of major and career path around my second semester freshman year. I hated the classes I was taking, especially my science ones. The material was incredibly hard to grasp, and it bored me to say the least. Despite this, I kept pushing through and telling myself that I just had to get through this first year of introductory classes and the next three would be better.

My thinking was flawed, and I found myself in the same exact spot this past fall semester. I still did not enjoy any of my major classes, and was starting to doubt in my med school dream that I had held onto for so long. I began looking into other majors, but I was still unsure. I had been so excited about becoming a doctor for the longest time, and I did not want to just give up on my goal. Changing my major seemed so daunting and scary, and I was unsure of what I would change to as well. There was just so much uncertainty, which absolutely horrified me.

In an effort to relieve my stress, I began talking with a few of my friends about my seemingly daunting life crisis. They told me all about the love they had for their major, and how despite the difficulty of their courses, they still found enjoyment in them. Hearing them talk about how secure they were in their future careers was truly the thing that made me realize I needed to change my mind about mine.

I had held on so tightly to my high school aspiration of being a doctor, and never once thought to consider any other option. I had never thought to research other careers and other majors that might fit my interests. And while it terrified me beyond belief to stray from my "life plan" I had laid out so carefully all those years ago, I started doing my research. I took personality quizzes that matched my traits with career options that would be a good fit, and dove into all aspects of the careers given to me in my results. And after a lot of deliberation and countless hours spent in deep thought, I finally decided to change my major to marketing.

I realized I had a passion for media, as I worked on countless multimedia projects throughout high school, such as the yearbook and broadcast news show. From my research, I discovered interests I did not even realize that I had in the branding and advertising aspects of marketing. I finally began marketing classes this past semester that I actually enjoy, and I have truly never been happier.

Changing your major is a scary thing. There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding it, especially if you're unsure of the other options that are out there. You might stress a little (or a lot) and lose a bit of sleep over it. Regardless of how daunting the major change process might seem, I am telling you it is 100% worth it! If you are unhappy or unsure of your major or career choice, it is never too late in the game for a change.

Talk to your college advisors, or anyone in the career center department on campus. Take (legit) career matching personality tests, and look into the results you are given. Do your own research and figure out what you want in a career. At the end of the day, take whatever measures necessary to make sure you are content with your classes and future career path! Change can often times be scary, but this one is worth it!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Chandler Bing

I'm assuming that we've all heard of the hit 90's TV series, Friends, right? Who hasn't? Admittedly, I had pretty low expectations when I first started binge watching the show on Netflix, but I quickly became addicted.

Without a doubt, Chandler Bing is the most relatable character, and there isn't an episode where I don't find myself thinking, Yup, Iam definitely the Chandler of my friend group.

Keep Reading...Show less
eye roll

Working with the public can be a job, in and of itself. Some people are just plain rude for no reason. But regardless of how your day is going, always having to be in the best of moods, or at least act like it... right?

1. When a customer wants to return a product, hands you the receipt, where is printed "ALL SALES ARE FINAL" in all caps.

2. Just because you might be having a bad day, and you're in a crappy mood, doesn't make it okay for you to yell at me or be rude to me. I'm a person with feelings, just like you.

3. People refusing to be put on hold when a customer is standing right in front of you. Oh, how I wish I could just hang up on you!

Keep Reading...Show less
blair waldorf
Hercampus.com

RBF, or resting b*tch face, is a serious condition that many people suffer from worldwide. Suffers are often bombarded with daily questions such as "Are you OK?" and "Why are you so mad?" If you have RBF, you've probably had numerous people tell you to "just smile!"

While this question trend can get annoying, there are a couple of pros to having RBF.

Keep Reading...Show less
legally blonde
Yify

Another day, another Elle Woods comment. Can’t us blondes get through the day without someone harping at us over the typical stereotypes about who we are? I never understood why a person was judged based upon the hair color they were born with, or the hair color they choose to have (unless you dye your hair blue like Kylie Jenner, I’m still trying to understand why that’s a trend). Nevertheless, as it should be assumed, not everyone is the same. Not all blondes like bright colors and Lilly Pulitzer, and not all blondes claim to identify with Marilyn Monroe. I think the best suggestion to give to people before they make such radical claims is to stop judging a book by its cover. Or in this case, stop judging a blonde by her hair color.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

A Year At JMU As Told By 'Bob's Burgers'

The world's greatest university meets the world's greatest show.

1828
Bob's Burgers
collegian.com

A year at JMU promises many great adventures. The journey of becoming a duke and learning what being a duke is all about is really exciting and a lot of fun. Of course, we all know that James Madison University is the greatest university in Virginia (perhaps even the entire country). There are many events and moments at JMU that are cherished and remembered by all dukes.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments