Life is all about change, right? It seems that the older we get, the more complicated life becomes. The person that we wanted to be two years ago is probably different from the person that we want to be today. That is why it is important to be open minded, and to take chances to find out what it is we want in life.
Among the numerous challenges we face in life, going to college and deciding on a career is definitely one of them. In the summer of 2010, I remember opening SBU’s academic course catalog, and saying, “Wow!” There are so many opportunities lying ahead of us. We find ourselves asking, “What direction should I take? What are my real interests?”
I got my start back in the fall of 2008 at Suffolk County Community College. I was so happy going to college there that I forgot to consider my options for future study. I just remember saying to myself, “I grew up in a family business so deciding on a career should be easy, and I am really good at interacting with others, so this should be even easier.” And just like that, in the fall of 2008, I became a business major. I did not do extensive research when making my decision. I did not seek advice from an advisor, so I was not really confident that business was really for me. Flash forward to Stony Brook 2011 and I am now a journalism major.
Are you feeling pressure from family and friends to have a definite career plan? When I first thought about switching my major, I received lots of negative feedback from my family, which only added to my agitation. How can we feel secure in the knowledge that the decision we make is the right one? According to senior biology major, Kelly Ross, 21, “It’s not impossible to change your mind as far as majors are concerned, but taking different classes makes things much easier.” And what with the limited options for Fall 2011 classes, we should all strive to be more open minded when choosing our courses.
It is OK, in your early college years, to be unsure about what you want to do in life. In order to know what you like and what you do not like, you have to explore all your options thoroughly. Junior health science major Bianca Scott, 21, “absolutely loves” her major, health science. When asked how she decided upon her major, she said that speaking to an advisor was crucial. She advises freshman and students still unsure of what to study to “gain experience in the field you are interested in, speak to peers and your advisers as often as possible about your interest, do research on different occupations, and make sure you love the path that you choose.”