Many people are insanely indecisive. In fact, now that I think about it, I’ve rarely met any person in my life who doesn’t second guess any decisions or actions he or she has made. Whether the issue is what one is going to eat for lunch, or which college one is going to attend, a long series of debating the pros and cons of each option is sure to ensue.
The same procedure applies when a student is going through the process of choosing a college major. For those who chose a major right from the start and have stuck with it through the end, I majorly (I don’t apologize for the pun) commend you. You must have had a really good instinct about what you truly love to do and what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. However, not many of us are as lucky as you were.
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The first thing that ran through my head was: what do I want to do with the rest of my life? Stunningly, my brain came up with zero rational ideas to answer that question. How would I know that I’d be happy doing a singularly exclusive thing for the rest of my life? I mean, hey, high school doesn’t even expose you to even a tenth of the careers or pathways you can take in life. Actuarial Science? What even is that, is it like biology or something? Ironically, it’s my major currently. Communication Sciences & Disorders? Excuse me? Why is that major so long? It’s such a mouthful. But seriously, how was I supposed to pick a major when I didn’t know what half the areas of study were on the long list of majors?!
When you finally pick a major, a sense of relief runs through your body. Ok, I did it! I know what I want to do for the rest of my life -- I’m set. Let me tell you, that moment is fleeting. I think it lasted a solid day for me before my mind went back to wandering and squashing all feelings of accomplishment and reprieve. I worried about if I would make enough money to be happy (not something I like to admit, but I think everyone worries about that). I worried about if I would love my job. I worried that there was a different major out there that would make me happier.
You always hear those horror stories about a student not realizing that they hated their major until it was too late. By then, the only options are to change your major and go to school longer, or to stick it out and be forever wishing you were doing something else.
Yet at the end of the day, if you choose correctly (which I believe I did), you’ll go to bed knowing that you made the right decision. Nothing beats that feeling. I can honestly say that I’m excited to graduate and start a career doing what I love. Good luck to the rest of college students who go through the exact same process, I know it’s not easy.
