Since starting college in 2012, I have changed my major four times officially and explored countless other majors. I even took a year off to figure out what I want to do. Thus I'm often the subject of countless jokes by friends, usually along the lines of "What's your major this week?" I went from criminal justice to economics to hospitality and tourism before finally deciding on psychology. Yes, it took me five semesters to find a major that clicks, but I don't regret it one bit.
In a time of skyrocketing tuition costs and huge student loans debts, I want to be sure I love what I'm doing because I'm going to be working a long time to pay it off. Yes, I'm aware that just because you get a degree, it doesn't mean you have to work in that field, but if I'm going to spend more than $30,000 a year on tuition, I want to love my major.
I want to wake up and be excited to go to classes because I enjoy the topic. I want to be excited to graduate and get a career in my field. I've met one too many co-workers who graduated hating their majors because they picked their major for someone else, not for them. I don't want to graduate wondering why I picked the major I did. I don't want to pick a major based on what will make someone else happy.
Do I sometimes wish I had gone in undeclared and taken my general education requirements? Yes, but I can't go back and change that now. I don't regret changing my major, because each time I was sure I would love my new major. I'm aware it took me longer than most to find a major that I love, but I don't regret that. If I hadn't taken the random assortment of classes I've taken, I wouldn't have a database of knowledge that makes me killer at trivia. If I hadn't changed my major, I wouldn't have met so many wonderful friends in my classes. And most importantly, I wouldn't know what it feels like to find a major that clicks. Yes, it took me five semesters to figure out my major—but I wouldn't have it any other way.
