In my most recent efforts to avoid responsibility (in this case, my mom’s list of chores she handed me the day I got home from school) I found myself aimlessly surfing the Internet, where I stumbled upon an article about the “worst” college majors. You might be able to guess some of the majors that were on the list – fine arts, history, liberal arts, and English literature, just to name a few.
I found myself frowning deeper and deeper as I continued to read. I applied to Notre Dame as a History major because I have always loved history, whether it was listening to a lecture in class or listening to my grandparents talk about their childhoods in a world that was much different than ours today. In addition to history, I’ve always had a knack for English and a love of writing (Which is why I am minoring in Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy and why I decided to write for HCND in the first place!). I have always been interested in Psychology–why people act the way they do and how they got to be that way. I love giving advice and helping people in any way that I can.
I remember years ago being told that Psychology was not a smart field to go into. I was told over and over that you had to go to graduate school in order to get a job, that it is a thankless field, and that I could quickly become burnt out.
On the other hand, I was told that Journalism was a difficult area to go into these days–that newspapers were going out of business left and right with the rise of the Internet, so the chances of me being unemployed after graduation were pretty high. As I entered college with an unofficial major in History (which I had chosen as a backup – still being told that it wasn’t a good field to go into) I was more confused than ever.
Just talking about majors with fellow freshman during Frosh-O made me anxious. Most of my friends from home were planning on studying Engineering of various kinds, and since I’ve reconnected with them during various breaks I’ve noticed a disconnect that sometimes occurs in our conversation. I can’t relate to their complaints about Physics, Calculus, or programming. Just talking about math makes me feel slightly nauseous–clearly there was no hope for a future in Engineering for me. I was stuck with the feeling that the only way I could ever be successful and make a living was to do something I didn’t enjoy–engineering, medicine, or the like.
Throughout the the past year, I’ve changed my mind several times about what to major in. At first I was convinced history wouldn’t work out for me because I didn’t want to be a teacher (which is what I had been told was basically the only job you could get as a history major–which, in fact, is so not true), so I started to do some research.
Soon I was set on studying PLS (Program of Liberal Studies) after talking to current PLS majors and reading about it online. I eagerly registered for a PLS seminar class … only to find a few weeks into the spring semester that it wasn’t the best fit for me, even though I had heard several people rave about the program. I continued to consider various majors in the College of Arts and Letters until one night I read an article about the success of students in the Mendoza College of Business.
I started to panic–shouldn’t I major in something that was a little more “practical”? I had heard many times that you couldn’t make a real living off of the liberal arts these days. So I did what I do best – I called my mom at midnight freaking out about my future (I wish I could say that was the only time I called my mom past her bedtime to vent about my stress in the past year.).
After I hung up the phone, I sent an email to my First Year of Studies advisor and soon I had declared Mendoza my future college of choice. I received mixed responses when I told people I was now planning on majoring in Business. Many of my friends at school were already decided on majoring in Business, so they were thrilled for me. I was comforted that I would know people in my future classes as a Business student. But at the same time I got some surprised looks from family and friends from home. They curiously asked me what I wanted to do in business and that they never pictured me going into the field. But they attempted to shield their skepticism with feigned excitement, encouragement, and forced smiles.
At the time I tried to ignore all the signs, but halfway into the semester I finally admitted it to myself – I wasn’t a Business major. The subject didn’t truly excite me. I didn’t want to go through my four years at Notre Dame dreading going to class and being wholly unenthusiastic about my studies and future career.
Notre Dame is an amazing school, albeit a very expensive one (But you get what you pay for, as my mom always says, so you definitely get your money’s worth as a Notre Dame student.). I had been anxious that if I graduated and couldn’t find a well-paying job, I’d be stuck paying off my college loans until I had grandchildren paying off their own loans. After a lot of thinking, I came to a decision about myself.
As pathetic as this may sound, a quote I found on Pinterest inspired me and helped me alleviate a little bit of my worry. According to this pin (and some further research to verify its accuracy), Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The more I thought about it, the more the quote resonated with me. I had talked to many cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends who had told me to make sure I studied something I was passionate about, because choosing a career just for the hefty paycheck will never leave you truly happy.
Sure, you may be able to buy nice clothes, take exciting trips, and eat the most decadent foods, but at the end of the day none of that really matters–you can’t take your possessions with you after life on Earth. There is more to life than money and what it can get you – the most important thing is happiness (Sounds cheesy, but it’s true.).
So long story short, I have declared a Psychology major with a minor in Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy, and I have never felt this at ease about my studies. Registering for next semester’s classes actually felt exciting and I am genuinely interested in everything I am planning to take.
I may end up continuing my studies in graduate school, or I may enter the working world right after graduation–who knows? Trying to plan out your whole life as a freshman in college will almost definitely lead you to disappointment, because life throws us curveballs just when we feel we have it all figured out.
So I’m not going to stress about what’s going to happen five or ten years down the road–the only one it will hurt is me. But for now, I am confident in my choices and feel truly content with where I am as a student and young woman. I guess my message for anyone reading this (especially incoming freshmen) is don’t try to do something just because others think it’s best for you. Major in something you love, because you don’t want to waste your precious years at ND being miserable.
The HCND application is now open! For more information contact Rebecca Rogalski at rrogalsk@nd.edu or Katrina Linden at klinden1@nd.edu.