Ask yourself two questions:
1. What is my major?
2. Does my major define my career path for the rest of my life?
Some of you may have said yes. You are one of the few college students who came out of the womb knowing what job you were destined for. This is great for you, but the rest of us were not blessed with such a possibility.
For those who answered no to the second question, I stand beside you. No matter if you're a freshman or fifth year senior, do not fret. Although we all have different majors, we can agree upon the fact that our major does not technically shackle us to anything.
In the past couple of years, I have been blessed to be able to watch my older brothers' paths from graduation to landing their first career oriented job. It took both of them around three years post-college to land a job in the field they majored in. Let me repeat: Three years. That is almost as long as the average student spends in college. So, if going to college for four years is just a predecessor for years working mediocre and insufficient jobs, then something must be wrong somewhere. It is becoming increasingly tough and competitive to find careers within today's job market. If your resume does not scream excellence or have a couple bills attached, then good luck in your major's waiting room. However, what if I told you that there is another solution? That a different path exists leading away from the fork in your career path. Call me crazy, but I believe that a college graduate's major should not define them. A certain major should not entrap them within a scope of jobs for the rest of their life.
At the end of the day, a college degree is essentially a college degree, no matter how many times you toss it up in the air. It might say engineering or english or accounting. But what it does not convey is you. It does not portray your skills, strengths, ideas, abilities, personality, or anything else. A person does not bring their college diploma or resume to work. They bring the person that is going to accomplish their job's responsibilities to the best of their ability. I do not believe a fire science major should be told that it is impossible for them to ever crack into the business world. You wouldn't know it, but there are many things that overlap between a fire department and business firm. Therefore, a major is something to be pursued because a person is interested in it. However, people grow up, inside, and maybe even outward. As they get older, their hobbies, preferences, opinions, and much more change. If you believe that you're going to love what you are studying in college thirty years from now, then I find it hard to believe you. I have not graduated yet, and I am already considering working in three different sectors of employment.
So, if you are like me and so many others, then please stop worrying and e-mailing your guidance counselor. Pursue what you are interested in college right now and go after the career that you want after graduation. If you must turn down the road past your major do not feel bad for never looking back.
"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - Marc Anthony
