I am considering changing my minor to literally anything else. All the classes I have taken for my minor are quite boring. That is not to say the topic is not interesting; I just do not have a passion for it anymore, with a key emphasis on “anymore.”
I used to find this topic intriguing, but I started to lose interest once I began to engage through an academic lens rather than for personal enjoyment. I thought I could see myself entering this field as part of my career, but now I know I do not want to pursue it. This decision would have been easier if I had not formally declared the minor. The hardest part about this is reminding myself that this change is not me quitting or giving up.
Once I finally recognized that I had lost interest in my minor, I started to brainstorm what else I would want to study alongside my major. I am now more concerned about protecting my interests, hobbies and curiosity from the dangers of an academic filter. I am, however, still scared to make a decision that will influence the course of my academic path and career. In my opinion, Northeastern University facilitates a more career-focused college experience than most schools. This is one of the reasons I am putting so much pressure on what I declare as my minor. I have to remind myself that just because I study a topic in university it does not mean I am automatically signing myself up for a career in that subject. In other words, I should study topics to learn more about something I am interested in rather than always looking years ahead.
When we are younger, adults in our lives are usually the ones making the big choices, like which schools we will attend. But that era only lasts so long. Since about age 16, my choices have felt like they will impact the rest of my life. For example, choosing which extracurriculars to spend time on, whether to take the SAT or ACT, which colleges to apply to and then the most influential choice I have made thus far, which college I should attend. I worry that a decision might impact me later in life in ways I do not anticipate.
I chose my major and minor when I applied to Northeastern during the fall of my senior year of high school. Thinking back, I realize my major was my idea, but my minor was not. Originally, I planned not to declare a minor until later when I had a better understanding of my career goals. But others around me advised me to declare it, so I did. I rarely make a decision without consulting my close family and friends. But, sometimes, I let their opinions influence me more than my own. This is as close as I can get to being back in that era of adults making decisions for me. Honestly, I do not want to be responsible if things go poorly for myself.
I am familiar with thinking long-term about decisions. I sometimes forget that not all choices are long-lasting or will influence my whole life. Changing my minor will not be the biggest decision I make in my life, and I can always change it again.
These individual decisions may not even be impactful in the grand scheme of things. We are just specks floating on a rock, right? Nevertheless, when confronted with these choices consistently, they appear more daunting. I fear the choices I will have to make later in life such as where to settle down or whether or not I will have kids. I try to only focus on the present, but it can be hard not to think about life down the road and deeply analyze past choices. Once I start thinking about my major and minor, I think about the heavier choices I will face later. It is unsurprising that as time changes, so do my interests; I must remember that changing my mind is okay.