When growing up, everyone always asks you what you want to be when you get older. It seems like from the moment you started kindergarten, this is a question that has been following you around. When it finally comes time to go to college and choose a major, how do you decide what to go into? Many people think about money, or how easy it can be to get a job in that field, others let their family influence them, and some let what is “socially acceptable” influence their choice. How many students choose a major based on what they like? How many think about what will make them happy in the future, without worrying about others will think? Sadly, many students don’t think of just themselves when choosing a major. This is for the students that are having the trouble of making the decision that will define their life. I want to share my story of deciding on a major with you, and I hope it will help others with choosing their path in life.
Growing up when I was asked what I wanted to be when I got older I would always say a doctor. My reason? I liked helping others and it made a lot of money, and being a doctor was looked highly upon by others. So yes, being a doctor sounded right for the longest time. I never thought about all the classes I had to take to become one. I would have to take classes like chemistry, biology, and calculus. The thing is, I hate all those classes.
My freshman year of college I signed up as a Bio-Chemistry major. Like I said, I hate both of those subjects, but I was determined to be a doctor. As I took my classes my first semester I realized that they didn’t make me happy. I thought about my future and what it would be like. I thought about my long hours at work in ten years, maybe more. I thought about how much I would probably be away from my family. I realized that yes, I would be very well off when it comes to money, but I would not be happy. I don’t have the brains or even the attention span to learn all I need to be a doctor, and if I thought my future would be miserable with the career path I’m on, why should I continue?
I decided to change my major after realizing it would not make me happy. I changed it to English Education. I thought if I won’t be a doctor, what else on earth can I go into that is “socially acceptable”? I was just thinking about what is seen as okay to study. Again, after another semester, I realized that there was no way I would be happy with English the rest of my life. That’s when I started to think, okay, put aside money, put aside what others will think, put aside anything in making this decision except what I enjoy. That’s when I decided what I really wanted to do. All through high school, there was one class I looked forward to. I loved going to my video communication class. There was just something about putting videos together and making a story. I loved taking multiple shots until I got it just right. I loved finding what angle a scene should be shot from. I loved going into the editor and editing all my clips together. There was not one thing about it that I could think of that I didn’t love. That is why I chose yet another new major. I chose to go into Broadcast and Cinematic Arts to hopefully become a director/producer someday. I knew that I made the right decision once I started my classes. I liked learning about what was being taught. I found myself excited to go to class every day. I found myself looking into my future and saw myself smiling every day. That’s how I knew I was doing the right thing. Some people might ask, “well isn’t it hard to get into the business,” or “where’s the money in that?”, but honestly, none of that matters, because even if I have money, if I go to work every day miserable, would it all really matter? To me, it wouldn’t.
I had a friend that went through the same situation. She settled for a major that she didn't really like, but knew she could find a job with it easily. Once she changed it to something that she actually loved, you could tell that she was happier.
What I am trying to say through all of this is when deciding on what you want to do for the rest of your life, don’t just settle for something because it’s what people want you to do, or it’s what will be the easiest to find a job in. You need to choose what will make you happy. What will make you excited to go to class? What will make you smile every time you think about it? What will be the thing that makes you happy the rest of your life? You have to do what you love. As the saying goes, if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. That is what you need to remember when signing up for a major. If you choose what you love, all the classes and all of the money will definitely be worth it in the end.
