To all of the freshmen going through their first semester of college:
Whether you have already declared your major or not, listen to what I’m about to tell you. You might think that the GenEd or the required classes you have to take are a waste of your time. But trust me, they aren't. There’s a reason why colleges make us take those kind of classes. They tell us that we take them to expand our thinking and have a more well-rounded education, but I found that those are not the only reasons.
I thought when I got to college I knew exactly what I wanted to do. When I applied, I put my major as undecided since the major I wanted required an audition and I missed the audition dates. I went through my first semester taking some of the required classes and one for the major I wanted. I auditioned for the major at the end of the semester and found out a month later I didn’t get in. I was left heartbroken, without a major, and no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
I went through the next few semesters struggling to find the perfect major—at the same time I was wasting my time and money on classes I didn’t need. I switched my major almost five times before I found the one I truly wanted and kept taking classes for the majors I thought I wanted. I hated the classes I took for the other majors; I wanted to be able to be more creative when doing my work and the only thing I got to do was take tests. It wasn’t until I was almost halfway done my sophomore year that I realized what I wanted to do for my career.
Every time I chose a major, I wasn’t excited about the career it would come with.
I had to watch one of my favorite movies over again to realize what I truly wanted to do with my life. I was watching “The Devil Wears Prada” and watching that just one more time made me think about much I would love to work at a magazine. I love Seventeen magazine and I would get to write about things that interest me every day if I worked there. I’ve always loved writing and creating stories, but I never thought about making it a career until then. The moment the movie was over, I switched all of my classes I had chosen for the upcoming semester without even thinking. I rarely do stuff without putting a lot of thought into it, but that was the best decision I ever made.
I found my dream job, and that has helped shape the path I will be on for the rest of my college career.
If the major you are in or are thinking about declaring doesn’t offer a career that you know you will love, don’t waste your time taking classes for it. You will just be miserable doing work that you don’t like and life is too short to spend time on something you don’t enjoy. Try to find someone who is working in the field you are thinking about going into and ask them what a typical day is like at the job. I got to talk to someone who works at Seventeen magazine and that helped me know for sure that’s what I want to do.
If you haven’t found your future dream job yet, don’t worry. You will eventually and you won’t regret waiting to choose your path.