If you're anything like me, you've known what you've wanted to do with your life for as long as you can remember. There was never any doubt in your mind as to what you would study and what your career would be. You've always been incredibly sure of yourself, so much so that everyone else in your life is sure of you, too.
But then you get to college and you start taking classes and it may take a few semesters, or maybe only a few weeks, but a stunning realization suddenly hits you: this isn't what you want to do. This isn't what you thought it was. You don't like it.
Your heart sinks as the realization sets in. You've known what you wanted to do forever, and now you don't know if you even like the field at all. Then you begin to panic. What are you going to do now?
Here is a word of advice: it is totally OK to change your major. It's OK to not know what you want to do with your life. It's OK to be unsure. It's OK to take classes in all different departments to discover what you truly like.
I always thought that college was the time to train for my career, but in reality, college is the time to discover what you want to do with your life. College is the time to experiment, and learn all different kinds of things, and find your calling along the way. Going to college is the first time that you are truly in charge of yourself and your life. From here on out, what you do with your life is up to you. The choice of what you want to study and what career you want to have is completely up to you. There is something very beautiful about that freedom, but there is also something extremely frightening.
Especially when you've always known what you wanted to be (maybe you've wanted to be a nurse since you were a little kid playing with a toy stethoscope, or maybe you've always wanted to be a teacher), it's terrifying when the reality hits you that this isn't truly what you want to do. You may feel lost, and unsure of what to do next. You may feel as though you are wasting your time and money in college when you don't even know what you want to major in. What am I doing with my life? you wonder.
What you're doing is trying to figure what you are doing with your life. And that is exactly what college is for. College is the time to explore all different fields and decide what you like and discover what you are good at. This is the time to discover your skills, passions, and hopefully, your fate. Where else but in an academic environment can you make these types of self-discoveries and come to terms with your own destiny?
There is nothing wrong with changing your major. In fact, if you don't question your major, maybe you need to. College is exactly the time and place to question everything you know, including the career path you cemented yourself on growing up. Don't be afraid to question everything, and don't be afraid to change your major if you discover that it is no longer your passion. Don't worry about what people will think. Worry about yourself, because the things you learn and the choices you make now will determine how fulfilled you are for the rest of your life. No pressure!
This is the time to focus on you, and what you want out of life. Do not at all regard what other people may think if you give up what you thought was your life-long passion. College is about bettering yourself, not fulfilling the expectations of people in your life. Don't worry about what your parents may say if you choose to change your major from what they wanted you to study to what you find that you actually want to study. Follow your heart, and you will find forever fulfillment.
