Changing Your Major is Okay

As a kid, I was constantly changing what I wanted to be when I grew up. One year I wanted to be a fashion designer, another year I wanted to be a physical therapist, and for a brief time I wanted to be an event planner. At the age of eighteen as I entered college, I was told to select a major that would educate me on the things I needed to get a job. At the time when I selected my major, I was happy with my plan and couldn’t be more excited for the future.

The thing is, sometimes you don’t know how you’ll react to something until you try it. That is exactly what happened with my first major. I started in health sciences thinking I would go down the physical therapy track and eventually end up as a physical therapist. After two semesters of classes though, I knew that wasn’t for me. I wasn’t enjoying my classes and everything seemed like a chore. So what did I do? Changed my major.

Don’t get me wrong, the process was a bit scary. Making sure I would have all the classes I needed in the correct amount of time, picking classes that I could handle, and re-mapping out my entire future was very stressful. Once I had settled in though, everything felt fine. I was content in my classes and content with my career path. I felt like psychology was the thing for me and could see being a therapist in my future

That was all well and good at the beginning of the semester, but as I progressed in those classes, I felt the same thing again. Everything was a chore and I wasn’t enjoying it. The thought of doing that for the rest of my life scared me and I knew I needed another change. So I did the whole process again.

Settling into my new major (hello, elementary education), I felt completely different. I was excited for my classes and loved the subject matter. I am already planning what my future classroom is going to look like and absolutely adore my future as a teacher. It did help that I tried out the whole teaching thing with a job as a substitute teacher, but that just ensured that I knew where I was meant to be. 

There are a few disclaimers I want to mention. You do want to make sure you know the outline of your plan for the next couple of years, that way you are prepared for anything that might be thrown at you. It is also very important that you work out the plan with the rules according to your school. Whether it be with financial aid, credits, timeline, or any other aspect, it’s important to make sure that it’s all worked out to make sure that you are capable of completing your degree.

Going into college, I never thought I would change my major. I thought I was stuck with my original choice. Here we are, halfway through my college career and I’ve changed my major twice. I was scared and didn’t know what it would bring when I made the changes, but one thing is for sure, I am a lot happier with my major and plan after changing than I was before.   

• college major
• education