According to borderzine.com, 80% of college students change their major and when they do, it changes at least three times. We’ve all heard those statistics from our parents whenever they reassure us that it’s okay if we don’t know what we want to do for the rest of our lives. But who does know what they want to do until they die when they are 18, 19, or even 22? It’s a difficult decision and even when you decide, you can’t really say that you’re 100% positive about it.
When I began my college education at Western Kentucky University I started off as an architectural science major. I wanted to become an architect since middle school and I thought that it would be a perfect fit, too, since I’m creative and good at math. However, after a year of majoring in architecture, I realized that it was time to move on. The courses I would be required to take in the upcoming years didn’t thrill me and there was something about architecture that didn’t fit right with me. Now I believe it was because I was more interested in the earnings aspect, rather than becoming an architect for enjoyment.
It was definitely a scary decision. When I was an architecture major of course I was frightened that it wouldn’t work out, but I at least had a little bit of comfort because I had some idea of what I wanted my career to be.
Choosing a new major, however, made me feel lost. For the first time, I didn’t have my shit together. I looked into a variety of different majors such as: interior design and journalism as well as the sKY teach program. Finally, after sorting through my thoughts I decided to join the sKY teach program and major in science and mathematics education, in order to become a high school math teacher. I know what you’re thinking. It’s completely stereotypical that I’m Asian, and good at math, and wanting to become a math teacher. However, I’ve enjoyed helping out my classmates in school and I believe I could be really good at it. Overall, it excites me, which I believe is what college should be all about. Furthermore, teaching has honestly always been a possibility, but it’s taken a backseat because I know that teachers are underpaid.
I think everyone dreams of becoming rich and living in a big mansion. I do, anyways. However, this summer I have accepted the fact that you should love what you do, and do it for the right reasons. Big paychecks would be nice, and I really wish that I had a love for some type of engineering job. But in the end, it is you who is stuck with that job until you retire, so you should choose one that you’re happy about.
There is an old quote by Confucius that states, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Although I don’t believe that you’ll never have to truly work another day if you love what you do, because after all, work is work, I do believe that this quote has some truth behind it. I would much rather do something I love for a living than something I hate.
