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If you've went through an experience where you were dedicated to a major in college for two years, but found another major to be even more fascinating--how did you approach this?
I'm a senior going into college later this year, and was wondering how I should approach this occurrence if it ever pops up in my life! #college #college-major #college-advice
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7 answers
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Raquel’s Answer
This is a good thing to think ahead about, and it is a lot more common than you may think. I think the important thing to think about is what will make you happy in the long run. It's incredibly hard to pick a career path at 18. Once you start taking college courses you may find something else you're really interested in and want to pursue. And that's okay. The nice thing about the first two years of college is that a lot of it is general education classes that aren't major specific, so if you change your mind in those first two years you haven't lost much. But even if you change your mind later it's okay. You'll be doing it for the rest of your life, make sure to pick something you'll enjoy. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, what matters is what's good for you.
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Andrew’s Answer
Sometimes colleges have fifth-year master's or coterminal programs, where you can simultaneously take classes in another field and work towards a master's degree while doing your bachelor's. Just something else to look out for...in the meantime, if you don't want to change your major, you can just take a lot of classes in the other field. In my experience, sometimes majors have a lot of "fluff", or unnecessary requirements, and taking a few core classes and electives can also give you a good understanding of the other field :)
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Sharina’s Answer
Imagine being in the career of your major for the rest of your life. Is that what you see yourself doing? If not, change. Two years is but a drop in the bucket in the context of the rest of your working life.
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Emily’s Answer
I would either minor in this field or just change your major! I was studying biology for three years until my second semester of my third year. I decided to switch to psychology because it was not something that I saw myself doing in the future. I loved that I was so passionate about psychology and I knew I could make a huge impact while still having fun working! Do some research and ask yourself, will you be happy studying this major? Will you like the jobs that you will get in this specific field?
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Sonya’s Answer
I agree with Andrew in going ahead and making the switch now since so many degrees allow for elective classes. I had a similar experience. I thought I was interested in the medical field then decided I was more interested in business. I was able to use most of my credits during my first 2 years and only took the additional specialized classes needed to get my degree along with a few electives.
I also agree with Gloria best to switch now if you know what you're interested instead of taking years to figure it out. Many companies are just looking for a college degree and it's helpful if it's in the field of the business/company but if not a degree shows that you have the ability to be dedicated and complete your education/training. Many companies will provide training in-house once you are hired so you can learn the skills needed for your new job, so the ability to learn and apply is what they are looking for.
So my recommendation is to switch now if you know what you would like to switch to if you are able to do so financially and it makes sense for your situation. If you are not able to switch then finish the degree you started working on then take additional courses/classes as needed to learn about the field you are interested in.
All the best to you!
I also agree with Gloria best to switch now if you know what you're interested instead of taking years to figure it out. Many companies are just looking for a college degree and it's helpful if it's in the field of the business/company but if not a degree shows that you have the ability to be dedicated and complete your education/training. Many companies will provide training in-house once you are hired so you can learn the skills needed for your new job, so the ability to learn and apply is what they are looking for.
So my recommendation is to switch now if you know what you would like to switch to if you are able to do so financially and it makes sense for your situation. If you are not able to switch then finish the degree you started working on then take additional courses/classes as needed to learn about the field you are interested in.
All the best to you!
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Gloria’s Answer
Hi Engoron,
This happened to me. I am not sure that I handled it well. I did two years of college and then found that I was not competitive enough for the major that I had chosen. I went into another degree program without thought to what I would do with the degree, but some skill and some transferrable credits. I ended up changing my major five times in total. It ended up being an expensive proposition, especially since I also changed universities as well. The challenge with changing a major can be money and time. I also spent years trying to earn a degree when I would have been better off just focusing on one and getting it done. While it sounds counterintuitive, many companies are looking for you to have a college degree of any kind rather than a specific one. It is a rare industry - like law or medicine - where a very specific degree or set of degrees is required. I would have been better off shifting to a generic major like English and graduating. Instead, I spent 15 years trying to get the right degree when I would have benefitted sooner from any degree.
Gloria
This happened to me. I am not sure that I handled it well. I did two years of college and then found that I was not competitive enough for the major that I had chosen. I went into another degree program without thought to what I would do with the degree, but some skill and some transferrable credits. I ended up changing my major five times in total. It ended up being an expensive proposition, especially since I also changed universities as well. The challenge with changing a major can be money and time. I also spent years trying to earn a degree when I would have been better off just focusing on one and getting it done. While it sounds counterintuitive, many companies are looking for you to have a college degree of any kind rather than a specific one. It is a rare industry - like law or medicine - where a very specific degree or set of degrees is required. I would have been better off shifting to a generic major like English and graduating. Instead, I spent 15 years trying to get the right degree when I would have benefitted sooner from any degree.
Gloria
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Julian’s Answer
Speaking from personal experience, my advice is that if you are unsure then you should definitely not be afraid to explore different areas and to change majors while you're in college even if it means that you don't graduate in the "normal" four years. (Of course, you should balance this against the additional cost and try not to go into too much debt in the process!) In my case, I started at one university then switched to a different one, changed my major maybe four or five times, almost finished a BS in Economics, and spent a year as an exchange student in China before finally earning a BS in Electrical Engineering. It took me a couple of "extra" years (and drove my parents crazy!) but I think it worked out well in my case as I have been very happy and fairly successful in my career as an engineer and manager with several large global high-tech companies over the last ~30 years. Looking back, I am confident that taking some extra time to explore my options was the right thing for me - best of luck to you in your own
journey!
journey!