So, for those of you who have not heard, I am no longer an Engineering student at Lafayette College. Rather, I am an English major. This is the story of why that 180 degree turn was so hard to make. It is also the story of why it was so satisfying.

I was sitting in Statics, drawing diagrams of brackets and nails and forces and god knows what else (since repressed), and right then and there is when I had my moment of clarity. I hate this, I thought to myself. I do not want to do this for the next semester, I do not want to do this for the next four years, I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. I then walked out of class and called my mom.

"Hey Ma," I said, "I don't think I want to be an Engineer anymore." Silence.

"Hey Liv, I've gotta call you back. Can't talk about this right now. I'm in CVS." That was her response, and I was left with my shuddering thoughts about how I may be making a choice that would shape my life forever... ever... ever...

Now, I have got to backtrack a bit, because I want to make it clear that I did not base this life-altering decision on a difficult computation in Statics. In fact, I was kicking some engineering butt, so it was not the difficulty of the classes that pushed me away. This had been a long time coming. Even my dad and a few of my closest friends admitted they saw this change on the horizon.

I will take you back to Somers High School. I was one of those students who was not lucky enough to have academic aptitude and passion decide my future for me. To elaborate, my grades and interest in my science classes fell equally with my grades and interest in my English classes. It was a pain in the ass. And you may be thinking, oh poor, poor Olivia, the great all-around student who cannot make decisions because she is SO FREAKIN' GREAT! You may also not be thinking that, which is preferred, because that is not where the heart of my dilemma was found. The heart of my dilemma was uncovered when on my college applications I was asked for my intended major, and I typed "E" without knowing where to go next. "-ngineering" or "-nglish"? Those few keyboards clacks would hold power unimaginable.

I made my decision. I skipped off to Lafayette College to be a Mechanical Engineer, to live my life by the crunch of my calculator and the direction of my acceleration vectors. But it was not to be.

Fast forward to that fateful day in Statics, when all that I thought I knew about myself came crashing down. This, for the record, is an insane feeling. I had it all planned out. I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to become, but I had neglected to factor in the most important variable: happiness.

I thought about the classes I was taking at the time, only one of which I looked forward to (Creative Writing). I thought about the classes that my future held, and I filled with dread and apprehensive boredom. I thought of the inflexible schedule the rest of time at Lafayette would require, five classes per semester, few electives, maybe I could squeeze in a minor. And as a soundtrack for my frantic thoughts was Acopian Engineering Center whispering, I've got you for life... I wasn't happy. At all.

When my mom finally left CVS, and I was able to discuss with both my parents at length, there was one fact that kept holding me back: my job prospects after college. It is common knowledge that a female engineer will have a much easier time finding internships and jobs than just another female English major who wants to write a best-selling novel and thereby conquer the world and all future financial troubles.

But happiness trumps all. And this is something I want to stress to everyone else out there who may be having a similar dilemma. Even though my parents were apprehensive of the switch, and so was I, I knew in my heart where the right path lead. It is no way to go about life hating what you do and regretting that moment you decided to type "-ngineering" into your college application. Do what makes you happy. Writing and reading, analyzing great literature, discussing at length my passion for the written word: that makes me happy.

So now, I am an English major, also toying with my loves for great cinema and architecture, but that is for a different article. I am so glad that I was an Engineer for a year (sounds like a fun immersion program, no? (NO)), because through my experiences I have gained just that, experience, and I have learned what it is that I do not want to do with my life.

That is exactly what college is for. Happy trails.