When I was a freshman starting at the College of Mount St. Vincent, I began my academic journey as a Nursing major - much to my chagrin and lack of shock from my family and friends. I come from a family that mostly works in the medical field, and to make matters more stereotypical, I am a Filipino; so people were not as surprised about my decision to go into Nursing.
By the end of the fall semester of my sophomore year, I was failing a major Nursing course and was already stressed as is. Before the Spring semester started, I made a judgement call and decided to leave the major. It was neither my calling nor my passion. There were tears shed and I debated with my parents on my future. I switched into History with a concentration in Secondary Education - a decision I do not regret at all. Since then, my blood pressure has stabilized and I actually look forward to what my future has in store.
However, there are students that do not know this feeling of joy, in the sense that there is some kind of freedom involved. From my parents' perspective, a career in the medical field would ensure that I would be financially secure in a world full of economic strife. I have friends who supported my decisions, but my parents were reluctant at first.
Students are falling victim to stigmas in society that "they can do whatever they want to do in their future - but "hey, the major may not make you a lot of money. Those are the words students often hear, especially those who are seeking to excel in the Performing Arts. Such statements disappoint me because happiness and excellence are seemingly driven by how lucrative the field is. It leads to socio-economic insecurity as well as doubt in one's own abilities. I understand that I may not be as marketable in my field of choose, but I believe that the experience and depth of knowledge that a student has in his/her field can prove the inherent worth of a student's ability to excel.
In addition to societal pressure, one of the most common struggles is parental pressure. Like I mentioned before, I felt like I was forced into my school and my major, leaving little wiggle room for me to find a calling that I would enjoy. As my parents saw that my grades and sanity improved as I excelled with my major and academic concentrations, they realized that I am truly meant to be a History Teacher one day. For children of immigrant parents, it is understandable that academic excellence will help them thrive. My parents did not want me to struggle like they did back home in the Philippines. Parents - not necessarily immigrant parents - have often neglected a child's happiness by referring to certain dreams as useless or having no benefit to his/her future. However, a student must be able to dream in order to find a way to not just succeed in life but actually live.
To this day, I often think about my college journey and how things would have been if I started off with a different major. It was not an easy road, but it is one that I can live with.
I leave this article with some words of wisdom to those who are facing similar situations from my early years in college: There is nothing wrong with your major, regardless of what society and your parents tell you. If you are only pursuing a major for the money, then you are only looking to succeed rather than live. If you pursue something you love, you never have to "work" for the rest of your life. If you are undecided in your major, there is no shame in that. Allow yourself to open your mind to ideas. Most of all, do not let others dictate your journey. College is supposed to be a time of independence - use your time to better your future by your standards. Good luck.
