Before coming to college, I heard stories of people changing their majors once, twice, or even as many as 10 times. I always thought to myself, “That will never be me.” I was smarter than that. I knew what I wanted and I was determined to stick to it through the end.
After taking a few accounting classes in high school, I decided that would be my major. I found it interesting, useful, challenging, and enticing. I seemed to have a knack for numbers, so it seemed natural to pursue it as a career, especially since it paid so well.
The first two years of college came and went as an Accounting major. I had taken mostly gen-ed and core classes, so my grade point average was fairly noteworthy. I was enjoying my college experience, naive to the fact my hardest courses were yet to come.
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When it came time to take business courses in junior year, things started to change. I was struggling to understand concepts, doing poorly on exams and losing all motivation to study or put out any effort. I thought I was simply not intelligent enough to grasp the concepts I was learning. I would barely pass the class, move on to the next one and repeat the same cycle.
Why was I struggling with something I used to love so much?
I decided to analyze my past few years to see if there were any patterns or signs as to why I was performing this way. This was when I realized my grades weren’t quite how they seemed. Each semester I was averaging between one or two C’s and three to four A’s. I was doing fantastically in non-business related courses and struggling with the business ones. I finally came to the conclusion that an accounting degree wasn’t the path for me.
While this revelation felt freeing, it was also the thing I had always feared. I thought I was doomed to stay a fifth year in college or take 18 credits for my remaining semesters. What was the point in changing my major after spending three years working towards something completely different?
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Once I took the time to figure out what I wanted to study, which classes I needed to take, what credits would transfer to a different degree and how to make it all fit, I felt relieved. I talked with numerous advisors and was able to find a career path that would fulfill me in a way my previous one hadn’t (and still able to graduate on time!). Now, I am taking classes that spark my passion and motivate me in a way I didn’t know was possible.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that I had to change my major. It’s far more important to stay true to myself rather than stick to the facade of a perfect life I thought accounting would give me.
Whether you’re a freshman or a junior, if you’re considering changing your major, I say do it. Follow your dreams and everything else will eventually fall into place.