To every confused collegiate:
I am a very confused collegiate myself. My reason for coming here was to major in game design. Well, it turns out William Paterson doesn't have that major. So I came to William Paterson as an undeclared student. In my first year seminar class, I was the only person who was undeclared. Being surrounded by nursing majors and elementary education majors who had their lives together made me question what I was going to do. I had no real hopes, dreams, or goals.
In the spring semester of my freshman year, I declared my major: biology. I decided I was going to be an autopsy specialist. It was a six figure job with little competition because of how gross it was. That dream lasted a whole two minutes because when I walked into that lab, and remembered I was bad at science. Oops.
My next course of action was to change my major to computer science. Another science! You can probably guess, but I'm not doing so well in these classes, now I'm trying to frantically pick a new major only a couple days before registration for spring 2016. So to all of you, I'm probably more confused than anyone. You can take pride in the fact that you aren't me in this moment.
But it isn't all bad. My reasons for picking biology and computer science were solely for the amount of income I would make after I graduate. It was not the best reason, but it was a reason my parents could get behind. Unfortunately, when you major in something that doesn't interest you, it's hard: it is beyond difficult. Sure, it would be great to have a six figure salary, but ask yourself this: will that make you happy?
I took the time to ask myself that, and to really think about what I want in life. As much as I love raking in that cash money, I don’t want to have to suffer for the rest of my life just so I can have a swimming pool full of diamonds (which would be painful, so don’t do it even if you can afford it). So, I decided on theater and comedy. I never thought about it before because it’s not a field that you can easily get a job in, and you never see it in on those “Top Ten Dollah Dollah Bling Majors” lists, but I've always loved to make people laugh. It makes me happy, so that’s what I’m going to do.
It’s always a good idea to take general classes during your first couple of semesters. This gives you some leeway if you do find you want to change your major. You can test the waters, taking classes for your major and seeing if you like it. If you decide you don’t, you can always try something else. You have time to try out different classes and majors. Talk to others; see what they like about their majors. Maybe they’ll inspire you to try something you never thought of.
Whether you're a freshman who doesn't know which major to pick, a sophomore who hasn’t chosen yet, or a junior who's unhappy with their decision, I want to tell every single one of you three things: don’t worry, follow your heart, and do what you love.
The end goal of college is to get your degree, but remember that the journey can be just as important as the destination. This is the best time for you to explore your options and learn to be independent. This is also the time to make mistakes. Mistakes aren’t bad; they’re your best friend when it comes to learning. So don’t be afraid to take a couple classes that won’t count for your major. Don’t be afraid to take a completely new class that you know nothing about. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’re learning. Isn’t that what college is all about?
