What do you recommend a college student should do when unsure of what career path to take at this point?

Hello dear,

I was also in the same situation when i went to college for studying. There are lot of seniors who are demotivating me like "you should not come here,you have wasted your money,you will not get job anywhere,you have chosen wrong subject etc". It also demotivate me for sometime because few students left the college after 6 months and went for other subjects.

But then I told to myself,believe on your decision. You have not chosen any wrong subject . All qualifications are equal. Only we need dedication. I decided that day that i will show them all my decision is not wrong and see today I am very happy.

Go ahead with your interest and believe on your decision.

Dear Martha,

I apologize for the long delay in answering your question. I hope my response is not too late to be of use to you.

Your situation can be a tough one, especially because colleges start pressuring students to choose a major in their sophomore year. However don't panic! I know some people who changed their majors four or five times before they settled on one.

You said you worry that you are not "college material." If you struggle with all your classes and have trouble getting passing grades across the board you might need to look at this issue. Even if this is true though, it might be that your particular school is not a good fit for you, or that you don't have a strong desire to be in college right now. I went largely because my parents expected me to and I couldn't think of anything else that interested me. Luckily I enjoyed the experience, but I know a number of people who dropped out for a year or two and went back with renewed interest and motivation.

If you struggle with some classes and do well in others, that is a different story. I wonder if the psychology courses you took dealt with children or covered other parts of the field. If so, your difficulties with them may not say anything about how you would do in courses targeted on your specific interests. I majored in psychology and enjoyed it but I certainly didn't like every course I took. It may also be that your talents lie in a related field. There are many that involve working with children including teaching, medicine, nursing, speech therapy, and a lot of others I can't think of now.

I know financial pressures make it hard for many students to stretch out their time in college but if you can, take the time to take courses in a variety of areas, to see if any of them excite you. You might want to talk to someone at your school's counseling center; these people have lots of experience dealing with your situation.

Above all, don't let your dilemma get you down. The odds are great that you will find a rewarding career path, even if it doesn't seem that way now.

Ray Finn, Ph.D.