Throughout high school, we face a constant pressure to decide who we want to be and what we want to do with the rest of our lives at the end of those four short years. By the age of 18, we are supposed to have our entire lives figured out and jump into a career path.

For many people, this is no big deal and they are able to find a passion that they can turn into a career with little to no problems and dive confidently into college, certain that they are going in the right direction.

For other people however, it’s not that easy. Some people aren’t so sure of what their calling is. Other people may go in 100% positive that they are on the right track, and then change their minds, sometimes multiple times, once already started.

If you’re in the second boat, it can be really easy to feel all kinds of anxiety and other bad feelings. You might feel like there’s something wrong with you since everyone else seems to have their lives figured out. Or, if you start out in a major you feel confident in and then switch some point down the line, you might feel like it’s too late to switch and you feel trapped in a major you hate.

However, you are in no way alone. And it’s not too late. I’ll debunk a few worries that you may be having and hopefully you’ll be able to calm down a little bit and switch into a major you love.

1. I’m the only person who feels like this: This is by no means true. There are plenty of people who struggle with this. A good majority of my friends, including myself, have changed their major at least once. In fact, only one of my friends has actually stuck to their major. We’re all in a giant boat of confusion. Nobody’s really steering it all that well, we’re all just hoping for the best.

2. I’m half way through sophomore year or later and it’s too late: While yes, you may no longer be a freshman, it is not too late. You may put yourself a little behind, but it’s not all that bad. To start with, depending on how far along you are, there’s a good chance that you were mainly working on gen-eds anyway. Even if you are in, say, your spring semester of sophomore year, it’s still okay. The classes you’re in now still count towards something and help get those pesky non major requirements out of the way anyway. So it’s not like those classes are now worthless and you wasted your time.

3. I have to stay in this major. I don’t know anything else I want to do: That’s always frustrating. However, it’s not impossible to fix. Take some classes that sound interesting or are even different than anything you would usually take. You never know, there might be something out there that you take and it sparks your interest. You could even just talk to your friends about what kind of classes they’re in. They might say something that sparks your interest and sets you down a whole new path, whether you’re looking for one or not. That’s what’s so great about college, it’s the perfect place to be able to learn new things and in turn learn what you’re interested in.

4. I can’t switch majors. I’m doing this to make my parents happy. This one’s tough. But, what you have to realize, even though it may be hard, is that it’s not their life. It’s yours. Sure, we all want to make our parents proud. However, most parents would be more proud to see their children happy doing their own thing rather than suffering. It might take them awhile, but your parents will come around. They may have a hard time accepting it at first, but eventually once they see how happy you truly are, they’ll be okay. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and initiate change, but it’s worth it in the end.

I know, I know. What gives me any right to say any of these things? Well, I was in that exact same boat. Like I said previously, I changed my major 3 times. All my life I wanted to be a teacher, until junior year of high school when I wanted to be a psychiatrist. And then after that, I changed my mind about a dozen times.

This was cause of a lot of anxiety and all of those fear filled thoughts and countless others have crossed my mind. People always tried to tell me these things, and I never believed them. But honestly, as cliché as these things may all be, you have to understand they are true.

Nobody wants a life stuck in a job they hate, and that all starts with college. So if you’re miserable now, just think about what it’ll be like in the future. Don’t be afraid to put your happiness above what you believe everyone’s standards are.

You’re not the only one who’s unsure, nobody truly is sure. So if you just keep an open mind and aren’t afraid to test out different waters, you’ll eventually end up where you’re supposed to be. Everything happens for a reason, and one day you’ll be where you need to.

I mean hey, we're all about our new-found independence in college anyway. We're out to do what we want at our convenience, so why not add to your happiness just one more way?

The worst that can happen is you’re maybe behind a semester. That’s not going to do that much damage, and the little extra time will be worth it in trade for being miserable. Not only that, but who wants to go in debt for something they don’t even like doing anyway?

Take the plunge, do what you enjoy, and it’ll be worth it. Keep your head up. You’ll figure it out eventually.