No matter whether you are still in high school, preparing for college, soon graduating college, or already in the workforce; this can apply to anyone who has felt the pressures of following a path that just wasn't right for them. As a college student, it is so easy to be swayed by different advisors, peers, and even friends in regards to "life advice". You have advisors telling you that you should something completely different than what your professor might recommend or vice versa. I understand. Or sometimes if you don't meet the expectations that these people set for you, you end up feeling like you "failed".
I know as a freshman in college, I struggled with this a lot, and I know that many of my peers did as well. I found myself never being fully satisfied or that I wasn't allowed to do things in the way I felt like would better suit me as a student. This monotony lasted for about a year until I realized I needed to plan my life my way. That only makes sense right? And I feel that this should have been common sense for my friends and me but it wasn't. The fact that we were also intimidated freshman probably didn't help either.
However, once we all decided what we needed to do; whether that was to change majors, rearrange class schedules, or change career paths completely, I noticed how much happier everyone was. In my case, I realized I needed to change to a major I found more enjoyable, but still keep the same career path. At first, it was really hard for me to accept "change" into my life because, at the time, I thought it was a more dramatic decision than it actually was. But now, I am so grateful that I took that step because I think it was the best decision I have made in my college career. Afterward, everything just fell into place and worked out beautifully. It's crazy to think that such a small change can make such a big difference.
I don't want to give the impression that you shouldn't listen to your advisors, but instead take what they say with a grain of salt. I continue to visit my new advisors regularly for class scheduling and post-graduation plans. It's always important to receive a second opinion but always make sure you figure out methods that are right for you. And when other students, like underclassmen, ask me for advice, I tell them the same thing! I never tell them how they should do something but instead, I tell them of all of the options available for how to get to their ultimate goal. Being told that there is only one way to accomplish a goal will give someone a lower probability of actually accomplishing that goal. Everyone is different, we all learn differently, and we will all accomplish our goals in different ways.
