When I started college in 2015, I had no idea what I wanted to do in my life. I didn't want to be undeclared though, so I decided to become a major in something I recently took up a hobby in: coding. I loved html coding, and learned that it made really good money. "Why not?" I thought. Very quickly, I realized that I could not handle the amount of math courses that came with it and switched to a major that I had always loved: English. Because I started out as an engineering major, I have learned many things and have heard many of the same questions/statements after switching to an art major.
1. "That's quite the change in major."
I still get this statement to this day, like I don't realize that at all. Yes, I fully realize I switched majors that are on opposite spectrums. Yes, I completely understand that one will make significantly less money. I finally did something selfish, which was picking a major I am actually passionate about and I will not apologize for that.
2. I do not regret failing as a Computer Science major.
If you've read my first article, you'll know that I literally failed out of college and was kicked out. Not only was this because of my garbage mental health but also because of my major. I am very bad in math and didn't fully realize the amount of math required for a computer science degree. In my very first math class of college, I quickly realized that I actually could not do it. I learned the beginnings of how to code in Java and, even though I will never use this knowledge again, it gave me a greater appreciation for those in the engineering field. It made me understand the internal workings of computers and programs better, and that in general is pretty fascinating to me. Even though failing out of college has been extremely difficult and taxing on myself and my family, I don't regret at least trying to be a computer science major and appreciate my time as one.
3. "What are you planning to do with an English major degree?"
No earthly idea, please stop asking me. English majors have a lot of different fields that they can go into, so I have a lot of choices and still have time to figure that out. I can intern for a lot of different fields before deciding on what to settle on. I currently plan to get my masters in English education, but things could easily change within months. Please stop asking me right now what I'm going to do, because I'm honestly just as clueless as you. All I know for certain is that I love the courses I'm taking for my major, and that means I'm headed in the correct direction.
4. "Oh, you picked the easy major."
Stop right there. There is no such thing as an "easy major". Each major is difficult in their own way. For example, math in computer science is difficult for me but my good friend can quickly calculate logarithms in his head. Meanwhile, I can write a 5 page essay in under an hour while the same friend cannot figure out the difference between "than" and "then". Picking a major that you are not only passionate about but is also your strong suit is nothing to be ashamed of. Even though I find myself to be a decent writer and a fast reader, I don't consider my major to be easy. It requires a lot of dedicated time, energy, research and writing skills. Because I am so interested in my major, it's much easier for me than computer science was.
5. Arts majors get looked down upon all the time.
When I was a computer science major, my friends and I used to chuckle about liberal arts majors all the time. After becoming an art major, I understood why art majors are just as important as engineering majors and my friends grew a greater appreciation for them as well. The reality is that I cannot do what they do and they equally cannot do what I do. Granted, there are some majors that still get looked down upon no matter what but each major has something important to contribute to other majors and society in genera, which is something we should accept and appreciate.
