Major Dilemma

The thought of it makes you cringe with tension. Every time someone asks, "What’s your major?" it seems as if another ten bricks have been added onto your shoulders. You find yourself asking, "Why am I forced to make such an important decision at such a young age?" Picking a major is one of the most difficult and frightening decisions a college student can face. But is all the pressure we put on ourselves really necessary? In this business-oriented world, we’ve come to believe that a major is related more to a career than to ourselves. For those of us who don’t have definite career paths planned out, the best advice to this "major" dilemma is simply to take a deep breath, look inside yourself, and discover your passions and natural talents.

Biology. I wanted to be a pediatrician since I was six years old. It was my dream. Well, that’s until I took high school chemistry my junior year and quickly realized that bio wasn’t for me. For the first time in my life, I was lost and it scared me. I began researching numerous career fields to no avail. I knew what I enjoyed doing–I loved to write. English was my favorite subject, but I was warned by people close to me that choosing it as a major would only lead me back into the classroom as a teacher. At that time, teaching at the high school level did not appeal to me.

So I finally decided that I would enter college as a dreaded undeclared major. I took all general education classes my first semester and swore I would never be one of those people who changed their major five times (the average amount for college students today). I still enjoyed my English classes far more than any other subject. I loved to write, but I let others tell me that becoming a professional writer was near impossible. So I accepted the fact that writing was more of a hobby than a career.

During the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, I felt the pressure to declare building. Every night, I diligently went over the numerous descriptions of majors in my school catalog. I decided the most logical thing would be for me to declare Liberal Studies as my major. The practical side of me had taken over. Although some Liberal Studies programs are designed for teacher preparation at the elementary level, I saw it as a broad major that would apply to any field I wanted to work in. I went ahead and declared during the summer and began taking Liberal Studies courses in the fall.

In those classes, I felt like I did not fit in. Most of my classmates were sold on careers as elementary school teachers. They looked forward to class presentations and "fun" math projects while I sunk lower in my seat. I found myself becoming more and more unhappy with school. I was bitter that subjects I honestly did not care about consumed my limited time. All I looked forward to was the ten minutes right before bed when I could write in my journal.

As obvious as it seems, the answer to my "major" dilemma did not come until I found happiness in a creative internship. I worked for an entertainment company in Hollywood where I was constantly surrounded by people making a living off their creativity and flare for fun. When I realized that a lot of employees in the company, from administrative assistants to head writers, had majored in English, the tunnel did not seem so dark. Possibilities started to light up my bleak career outlook. As I searched through my college catalogue, I browsed over English course descriptions and smiled as I finally understood; I could spend my time writing for fun and also get credit for it.

I immediately dropped Liberal Studies and began taking English courses in the spring. As I was sitting in class one day listening to my professor talk about the importance of being creative in all types of writing, an incredible sense of contentment came over me. I was finally where I was supposed to be.

The moral of the story–look inside yourself. Don’t deny what your heart is telling you. Block out what others think is best for you and focus inward. If you need more time to decide, take it. Being an undeclared student is smarter than declaring one major, taking courses, and realizing it isn’t what you want to do. Save yourself the stress and the useless units by making time for some soul searching. Lastly, don’t worry about being able to make a living after graduation. If you focus on what you really love and are interested in, if you perfect your skill and find happiness, the money will follow. Employers in every field are looking for people who are passionate about their work. The major you choose will not end up making or breaking your life. But taking the time to discover who you are and who want to be is the first step in building a fulfilling future.

Click for more information on Carla Furry, the writer of this article.