Choices in general are always a challenge for me. The substantial consequence of belonging to an indecisive mind means you overthink almost every decision about your daily routine. However, when the decision grows to the crucial state of something like my prom dress, coffee order or an elective class my indecisiveness grows rigorous. So, you can imagine the pressure I put myself under when at the age of eighteen, I was faced with the decision of what I want to do for the rest of my life.
For myself and many other students the detrimental task of selecting a major was anxiety central, and leaves us feeling limited to the potential directions life could go in. In perspective, the pressure is too heavy for an eighteen year old struggling enough to choose a path of practicality after high school graduation. However, if one chooses to pursue a college career eventually, choosing a major will follow. If you're not like the many who didn't know they wanted to be a teacher, nurse or microbiologist since third grade, you are among the most uncertain of college students. Thus, deeming you to a potential three-four year exhausting excursion, that makes you question every decision that has gotten you here.
Going into my freshman year of college I was beyond confident that English was the only degree I could confidently graduate with. However, the agonizing question followed me like a college squirrel, "what can I do with an English degree?" This resulted in torturing myself with contemplations of switching for years and even forcing myself into them. After 4 major changes I'm still able to graduate in four years, and can rightfully assure you that every mistake I made taught me something new about myself. It was truthfully better for me to waste a credit trying something unexpected and know I hate it, than always wondering if it would have been a better decision to switch.
Don't Let the Fear of Setbacks Determine Your Future
I wish someone had told me the world wouldn't collapse if I switched my major and tested waters when I was a freshman, instead of throwing the words "fifth year" at me like it was the plague. Follow your gut, if you know the degree you would love to pursue requires extra time than graduate late. You have an entire lifetime and considering you'll spend a majority of that time practicing the degree you receive in college, don't let the idea of an extra year stop you from a career path you'll enjoy. You'll thank yourself for it at graduation.
Get Help!
There is plenty of undergraduates that contemplate their major throughout the day, after a test or every semester when they must begin scheduling classes again. You're not alone, and because there's so many students pondering their major like afternoon lunch, there is plenty outlets at every college campus for help. If you're seriously interested in changing, talk to someone! Waiting will get you nowhere except taking extra classes that you won't need to graduate.
Trust Your Abilities
If you're wondering where my major ended up, it's right back to where I started. The only reason I felt pressured to change was because of the nagging idea that I wouldn't be able to find a career with an English degree. If I'm honest with you, this still could be true. The good news is that fear runs through all majors and it's certified to be no reason to question your degree. If you're passionate about what you do and mostly, if you're confident in your abilities the many employers will see that and you're career options won't seem as limited as they appear.
