The Hollywood version of college involves parties, drama, more parties, friends, dates, and even more parties. Somehow between all that people forget to mention you are actually there to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. You canât stay there forever; no matter how much you may want to.
So you chose a major. Maybe you followed your parentsâ advice and chose the âstableâ major, the one that guarantees you a job. Or maybe you followed your own path and went with your âdreamâ major. Perhaps you picked a number between one and a hundred and went with the ârandomâ major. Either way, you began your college career studying a subject that was supposed to be your future career.
But part way through you decided it wasnât for you. That chemical engineering degree is a guaranteed future but you just donât see yourself working on an oilrig or at a chemical plant for the rest of your life. Actually, youâre not really sure what you want to do.
Thatâs okay.
Not everyone knows what he or she wants to do with their lives at eighteen. Just a short two months before you began college you were sitting in a high school classroom raising your hand to ask to go to the bathroom. You havenât had the chance to explore the world yet. How were supposed to know when you applied to college how your entire future would pan out?
Ergo, as much as it scares your parents and advisors, you switch your major to âundecided.â But donât be afraid, spending a semester or two undecided is not going to kill you. In fact, now you have the time to explore your options. Shop around! Take a variety of classes that interest you to see what you like. The first two years of college are usually packed full of the common classes every college student has to take so exploring a few other classes wonât set you behind.
Instead youâll be able to learn what you like and what you donât like. Youâll be able to see whatâs offered on campus without feeling like you are stuck on one degree path. So donât freak out if youâre undecided. Not everyone chooses the right major the first time. And donât lose hope if switching majors means you have to spend another year or two earning your degree. There is no set deadline to finish college. Just breathe, keep on trudging, and somewhere along the way youâll find a major that is right for you.