This past month, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I recently changed my major from Acting to English/Education. Changing my major has honestly been the best decision for me so far. It’s not that I hate acting – I still plan on doing it after college, just not professionally. I took the leap of faith and changed my major, and it’s been the best decision of my life.
I went back and forth for about six months before deciding to change. One day, I was having one of those moments when I was unsure about a career in acting. My mom called me and said, “You’ve been going back and forth for so long. Why don’t you just look into switching?” I did, and I emailed someone in the Education department to get more information about the English/Education double major. I heard from her later that evening, and we made an appointment to talk. The next day, I mentally changed my major. I felt so much happier. I didn’t even need to meet with the lady from the Education department to know that I was going to switch – mentally, I'd already changed.
By taking a leap of faith, my life was changed for the better. It was scary to let go of this acting dream that I’ve had for so long. I think that was the main reason why I didn’t want to switch – it’s scary letting go of dreams and goals. Instead of focusing on giving up on those dreams, I looked on the positive side and created new dreams.
By taking this leap of faith, I discovered I need to not worry about what others think. My school is so focused on the fine arts and being “accepted” into programs, such as Musical Theatre, Vocal Performance, and BFA Acting, so not very many people change their major here. While I think it’s great for those that know exactly what they want to do in life, it’s scary for those that are unsure and don’t want to change their major, since not many people do.
I think a lot of people stick with the same major because they are afraid of “giving up” on their dreams, even if they don’t truly love what they’re doing. I was one of those people before I switched. Thankfully my mom convinced me to just look into a different major. Without her encouragement, I don’t think I would have been brave enough to do so.
I think I also thought that people would look down on me if I left the Theatre School. They would think less of me if I changed majors. When I tell most of my theatre friends that I switched, their first reaction is always shock. Some of them would then ask why, almost as if what I’m doing is a sin; like once you commit to the Theatre School, you stay in the Theatre School. While some may think that it would be difficult to respond to an attitude like that, it’s actually not if you know what you’re doing is the best for you. For once in my life, I’m doing something for myself, and I don’t care what other people think. I changed my major for me and no one else. Fortunately, the people I care about most have been encouraging throughout this whole process.
I’m now living in the present, and I need to do what’s best for me right now. I have been so much happier since I switched majors. I feel free. I am truly myself. I’ve learned that it’s OK to not always please people, it’s OK to make decisions for myself, and most importantly, I’ve learned that while the thought of taking a leap of faith is scary, it really is for the best if you do it for yourself.
