We live in a culture in which we’re expected to have somehow decided how we want to spend the rest of our lives by the age of 18. We get an idea from someone or somewhere and then decide to make it our goal. Next, we attend a university, declare our major and proceed to spend the next few years studying and working towards this goal.
But, the reality of the situation is that many of us aren’t 100% sure what we even want to do with our lives. If you do, then kudos to you. But if you don’t, trust me when I say that you’re not alone.
I personally decided that I wanted to study business when I was a senior in high school. I liked the idea of being a strong, successful businesswoman with a plan. Therefore, I entered the University of Delaware as a Marketing major and added Management as a second major a couple of months later. I spent my freshman year taking various breadth requirements along with general business foundation classes. And yet here I am, a little over one year later, as an English Education major with a Political Science minor.
This is obviously a big change and it came with a price tag that included stress, fear, and self-doubt (not to mention actual tuition money). But now I can truly say that I made a decision that has brought me happiness and confidence in what the future has in store.
Here are some red flags that led me to make the switch and may inspire you to do the same.
1. You’ve had doubts or uncertainty for a while
I was never truly certain that my college education was headed in the direction I wanted, but it was easier to just ignore these sporadic, uneasy feelings and continue to go about my day to day life. But, looking back, it’s clear that I should’ve given these thoughts the time of day.
2. The only classes you enjoy are those not for your major
Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect that you’ll love every class you take in college, but I truly hated all of the ones I took for my major last year. The only one that I enjoyed was my women’s studies class that I took out of my own personal interest. This probably should have been a red flag.
3. You’re not looking forward to any of your future classes
When I was browsing my course list for this current Fall semester over the Summer, I was filled with dread when I saw courses like,“accounting” and “business computing” on my schedule. After spending my summer working as a camp counselor (the thing I love most) and being my happiest self, I knew that if my attitude could change so drastically and quickly because of my upcoming classes, there was a problem.
4. When someone asks, “what do you want to do with that?” and you have no idea
It’s rarely a good feeling when you receive the dreaded, “so what do you want to do with that?” after telling someone your major. In fact, it really only feels good if you have impressive plans or job offers on the table. Of course it’s okay to not know the answer to this question, but in my case, not only did I not know the answer, but I couldn’t really imagine myself doing anything personally enjoyable with my business degree.
5. You can’t remember why you chose your major in the first place
Not being able to identify a valid reason for your chosen course of study may be the biggest sign of all. If you can’t remember why you chose your major or why you enjoy it, you might want to reconsider your academic path.
For me, I came to terms with the fact that there is nothing I’d rather do than spend my time working with children and teenagers, while being able to incorporate my love of the humanities. This realization prompted my major switch. If you’re content with your major, you’re one of the lucky ones, but if you’re not, then don’t just brush it off– consider making a change while there’s still time! Some stress and extra time commitment could very well be worth a lifetime of wondering “what if”.