Changing Your Major Isn't As Scary As You Think

Ever since high school, I had a pretty detailed plan for my life laid out in front of me. Or so I thought. I had always loved playing pretend doctor with my stuffed animals and dolls, so without any hesitations at all I chose the pre-medicine path pretty early on. I figured out that I would major in biology once I got to college, and do everything I could to boost my resume and get into med school. I had even mapped out the years after college too. Four years in med school, 3 years in residency, and a year in speciality before I could even begin my career.

The excruciatingly hard classes, eight years of post-grad schooling, and tremendous amount of debt that all came along with being a doctor never seemed to phase me. I wanted to help people, and becoming a doctor seemed to be the best way for me to do that. I had never considered any other options because I knew that going pre-med was the only career path for me. Once again, or so I thought.

Upon coming to college, I met so many people with so many interesting sounding majors. I learned about careers and majors that I had never even heard of before, such as criminology and animal and dairy sciences. I had never considered other options for my major, so I found it fascinating to ask people of and about theirs.

I started to question my choice of major and career path around my second semester freshman year. I hated the classes I was taking, especially my science ones. The material was incredibly hard to grasp, and it bored me to say the least. Despite this, I kept pushing through and telling myself that I just had to get through this first year of introductory classes and the next three would be better.

My thinking was flawed, and I found myself in the same exact spot this past fall semester. I still did not enjoy any of my major classes, and was starting to doubt in my med school dream that I had held onto for so long. I began looking into other majors, but I was still unsure. I had been so excited about becoming a doctor for the longest time, and I did not want to just give up on my goal. Changing my major seemed so daunting and scary, and I was unsure of what I would change to as well. There was just so much uncertainty, which absolutely horrified me.

In an effort to relieve my stress, I began talking with a few of my friends about my seemingly daunting life crisis. They told me all about the love they had for their major, and how despite the difficulty of their courses, they still found enjoyment in them. Hearing them talk about how secure they were in their future careers was truly the thing that made me realize I needed to change my mind about mine.

I had held on so tightly to my high school aspiration of being a doctor, and never once thought to consider any other option. I had never thought to research other careers and other majors that might fit my interests. And while it terrified me beyond belief to stray from my "life plan" I had laid out so carefully all those years ago, I started doing my research. I took personality quizzes that matched my traits with career options that would be a good fit, and dove into all aspects of the careers given to me in my results. And after a lot of deliberation and countless hours spent in deep thought, I finally decided to change my major to marketing.

I realized I had a passion for media, as I worked on countless multimedia projects throughout high school, such as the yearbook and broadcast news show. From my research, I discovered interests I did not even realize that I had in the branding and advertising aspects of marketing. I finally began marketing classes this past semester that I actually enjoy, and I have truly never been happier.

Changing your major is a scary thing. There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding it, especially if you're unsure of the other options that are out there. You might stress a little (or a lot) and lose a bit of sleep over it. Regardless of how daunting the major change process might seem, I am telling you it is 100% worth it! If you are unhappy or unsure of your major or career choice, it is never too late in the game for a change.

Talk to your college advisors, or anyone in the career center department on campus. Take (legit) career matching personality tests, and look into the results you are given. Do your own research and figure out what you want in a career. At the end of the day, take whatever measures necessary to make sure you are content with your classes and future career path! Change can often times be scary, but this one is worth it!