For a good part of my life, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, or at least I thought I did. Telling people I wanted to be an engineer always sounded cool. Once I officially picked that major at the wise age of 18, I felt like there was no going back, and that I had to stick with it in some shape or form. Once I realized I hated my classes engineering wasn’t for me, I had to explore other career options best suited for my strengths, and finally looked into education. Many people go through this process at some point, because believe it or not, some 18 year-olds are not ready for this type of decision. Here’s what many of us often go through when changing majors.

1. Learning all about your new major

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You finally decided to switch. Maybe meeting a person in the real world with that degree inspired it, or you watched a lot of Grey’s Anatomy so you want to be a doctor now. But now you feel one step closer to your dream job

2. Telling People

This can be the most intimidating step. Especially if said “people” are your family. Hopefully, they have been supportive, because that makes this part way easier. It also might be best to wait until you have a concrete plan, before doing this.

3. Dealing with people’s opinions

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Ugh I wish I can ignore this one and pretend it does not exist, but it does. I officially changed my major once, but still got ridiculed for changing my mind “all the time”. If you’re going from STEM to non-STEM, expect questions like: “Why are you giving up?” “Do you know that you’re going to make way less money?” As someone who values people’s opinions, this part was a bit hurtful, but guess what? If you’re not in charge of you’re future then someone else will be. As an adult, you should be able to decide how you want to spend your time and money. However, don't block out the people that are in your life who genuinely care! Support is a good thing

4. Realizing that you spent time in classes you no longer need

I also have to be realistic here. Some classes just do not fit into your new degree plan. *moment of silence for 7 AM strength training*

5. Realizing you might graduate later than expected-

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If you change majors as an upperclassman, you will at least have to add on a semester. It’s okay though, because then you’ll get to be a super senior. But seriously, I also realized that I want to go to graduate school, so I have to start preparing for that process pretty soon

6. Experiencing the new major

If your experience was like mine, then chances are that you found your calling. My thoughts this past semester were along the lines of “so this is what it’s like to enjoy being in class.” Some people take a little longer to decide and that’s okay. Whatever you do, just own your decision and know that plans can change.

Changing majors can be quite the adventure, but if you put enough thought into the decision then all that stress could pay off.